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We were completely up to date with all orders up until this morning. Everything went out today. Xmas post is now slowing stuff down though. When I get back from holiday, F1 will be available immediately to all, no need to message now. Lots more Bug too. Cheese launch date will be when the site can be sorted. New pages needed. Hopefully before Xmas. That will happen ASAP.
How’s work today? 🤪🥳
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Forum member Sam, pink S2. Lost count how many 30+ he’s had in past few weeks now. Well done Sam.
36+
33+
Russ, S2 & GPB1
FishOn Joe GPB1
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In reply to Post #1931
F1.
As we grew larger, simply having the space and the time to throughly dry the coatings out became impossible. In the winter the coating alone takes five days to dry. That’s after they have been cured and dried five times already.
They are returning with the coating inside the liquids in a different form. IMO they are actually better this way.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1935
100% buddy
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In reply to Post #1933
Cheeers Joss , it’s been nice to get back into contact with you after all these years , it would be good to catch up , maybe we could arrange a poacher baits social ?
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1931
Why?
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1928
Ya Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooornt
ive known Sam for many years.
Met him as a young lad when he worked at Poacherbaits through my true friend Gary Bainbridge (Mr Poacherbaits)
I fished with Sam in France, top lad (as was) and i couldn't be more over the moon for him and his recent captures....
Seriously mate, top angling.
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In reply to Post #1931
Put your own coating on mate it's well documented
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In reply to Post #1930
I'm in for the cheese  . What is the thinking on not having the coating on the S1's?
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Can’t wait to try the cheese ones, searching for something that was as great as cheezy pepperami in the early 00s, good opportunity to restock on some other too.
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In reply to Post #1925
Brilliant, been there myself in the past during busy periods of my life, some effort that, not only to catch but to keep the motivation going
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In reply to Post #1925
Cheers mate them hookbaits are a game changer Iv always messed around making/ improving my own hookbaits but with yours i don’t have to bother complete confidence in them , the results speak for them selfs.
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Forum member Tony, one of those Bug hook baits we made recently, over DNA Bug. 35lb+
Ian, S2, 41lb8oz.
Andy, 35lb+ one of our old F1 balanced from a few years ago. Over ABS 12mm freezer baits.
FishOn Ricci, S2 over Krill.
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Another forum member, another Sam. He's been battering them since that 49lb common. All pink S2 from his SW syndicate. Well done Sam, some lovely big carp.
38lb+
35lb+
36lb+
31lb+
26lb+
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Sam is a forum member. GPB1 over Poacher Baits TigerNut & Maple freezer baits. Cluster from days only Sutton 2. A fish he was so desperate to catch. She has to be at least 45 years old or even more at a guess by now. Well done Sam.
Sam only does two - three hour sessions before work. At the gate at 4am, then a full days graft there after. Weekends are spent with a young family. Hard earned capture.
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I am on holiday until early December. 
We were completely up to date with all orders up until yesterday afternoon, orders go out rapidly while I am not there. But nothing new will be available until I am back. Why on earth would I want to do that while I am on holiday? I'm trying to forget about work as much as is physically possible. I have to do a little bit obviously, but that has to be minimal till I actually get back 
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In reply to Post #1922
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In reply to Post #1919
I was asking about the F1s, should have said in that post tbf.
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In reply to Post #1917
“ When I get back, we will be releasing the Cheese.”
I feel so sorry for your inbox….
PM 😘
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In reply to Post #1917
What colour will the cheese be out of interest.... looking forward too these 😬
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In reply to Post #1918
“When I get back, we will be releasing the Cheese”
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In reply to Post #1917
Available when your back Mark? Or beforehand
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I am out of the country now until early December. All orders are going out within seven days while I am away. We were completely up to date with all orders up until Tuesday afternoon. When I get back, we will be releasing the Cheese.
We are also bringing back the F1 as a seasonal special. We get asked for these so much. This time they will be bubblegum pink instead of white, without the coating. They are a Winter and Spring banger. It's time they returned.
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In reply to Post #1915
They are both pukka carp mate. Neil done well.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1912
Good friend is Neil (Fudger), always gets his hair right for the pics 
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In reply to Post #1913
It's giving me a lob on 
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In reply to Post #1910
Carp porn, stop it
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Neil, two S2 40+. Both amazing carp Neil.
Carls second mid 40 in weeks. Takes some doing living up in Stoke. 44lb7oz. GPB2 over Optimum freezer baits.
FishOn Joe, GPB1 over shops particle
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In reply to Post #1910
That linear is perfect.
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In reply to Post #1909
Lovely isn't it.
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In reply to Post #1908
That top linear is very nice, cracking picture
Most of them are 
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Chris S2
FishOn Ricci S2 over bloodworm pellet
Sam GPB1
FishOn Joe GPB2
Aaron S2
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Forum member Aaron, white S2 cc pop up. A fish he really wanted to catch. Well done Aaron.
Forum member Sean, GPB1 balanced
FishOn Ricci, S2/GPB2 over Krill & Shops particle
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Well done Sam.
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In reply to Post #1904
very impressive fish!! well done on the capture 👍
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In reply to Post #1903
Good luck with it, think the fish will be bloody massive next year! Be interesting to see how it fishes with new faces on there, at the minute the same few swims receive 90% of the bait, but I recon once it starts receiving bait all over, it will get them moving. Definitely a few suprize fish in there still too. I knew which fish it was the second it tore off, it was due out, i knew i was in the right area, and mega conditions. Absolutely crapped my self when it somehow, came mostly flipped out the water tail first about 10 feet in front of me 😅
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In reply to Post #1902
Well done Sam
It’s Pinky season - booked on there this time next year.
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In reply to Post #1901
Thanks mate. It's pink S2 season again.
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Not meant to be online, but had to come and post a forum member with a massive PB really.
Well done Leeroyjenkins.
49lb4oz common from today, and a 35lb mirror from a few days ago. Pink S2.
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In reply to Post #1895
Replied Reuben.
We are so crazily stupidly busy. I will def not be about on here now for a little while.
I just replied to loads of PM's. Please do not PM me on here. That was only for special orders for the Bug hookbaits previously. I just do not see them in an appropriate time frame.
Please always message our work mobile, text or WhatsApp if you need to get hold of us regarding anything important. Don't ring, as it never gets answered, it's on silent constantly. But your messages will get seen and replied to rapidly (if it's an order query or about an outstanding order).
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Forum member (MarkCunnington) & author of 'The Syndicate' series Mark. His best ever Summer on his Kent syndicate using either our GPB1 or GPB2 balanced, fished over Fishon tackles prepared particle. Six forties and a mid fifty. Well done Mark.
First photos I've ever had from Mark. He's been using our hook baits for very a long time now and has caught some incredible fish on them along the way.
Thank you for the photos Mark.
56lb+
48lb4oz
45lb12oz
42lb4oz
42lb
40lb2oz
37lb4oz
33lb12oz
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Stoke Carl & his son Jude, top one new PB 44lb8oz, GPB2 balanced over Inception freezer baits. Well done Carl. Great photo.
Forum member Tony, 44lb12oz GPB1 cc pop up over DNA Bug
FishOn Charlie S2 over Blackseal freezer baits & shop particle
Clint S2
Chris GPB1 over Urban mixed fishmeals
FishOn Ricci, GPB2/S2 over Krill & shops particle.
Mark, S2 over Wraysbury baits nut mix. Large Berks club water
Tacklebox Liam GPB1 cc pop up
Tony, S3, 2500 acre French public venue
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In reply to Post #1896
Be mega on essential salami
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Hi Mark, will you be doing other variations of the GPB2 of other brands such as sticky’s krill? 🤞🏻
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In reply to Post #1885
Apologies only just seen this, have sent you a pm
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In reply to Post #1893
Cheers pal great confidence boost for first time out with them
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Glad you all liked them.
Got loads to post when I get a chance later. A forum member with a mid 40. Another forum member with 6 x 40's & a mid 50, all UK last couple months.
Carl (Tranter11) with the first photo I've been sent from the Bug hook baits. A lovely old one too. Best one of a few which he caught last night. Well done Carl.
Bug 16mm cc pop up.
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In reply to Post #1891
Mine arrived too- look great.
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mine arrived today,many thanks
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Mine arrived today also smell amazing. Looking forward to my new winter ticket to start next week. Thanks mark
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| | | RKB | | Posts: 1080 |  | |
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In reply to Post #1885
I've just received some Bug balanced baits. They look amazing and are so obviously "The Bug" hookbaits but with the unique twist of Specialized thrown into the mix. I'd be surprised if these don't prove to be very successful, very quickly. Looking forward to using them.
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In reply to Post #1887
Yeah I did scroll through and see it after I’d posted cheers
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In reply to Post #1886
🤦🏻♀️
See a bit further down,,,,,,
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In reply to Post #1885
Appreciate that you’re busy but it seems like ages ago the cheese hookbaits were mentioned, any news on them?
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All the Bug hook baits are long gone now. The only CF member who said they wanted them who I did not hear from, was Reuben. Saved you some Reuben if you still wanted them. It's no problem if you did not. We had to roll a load more yesterday anyway.
These are the 16mm, balanced and pop ups.
Anyone who saw the original thread about that lithium bait gun... I picked up another one on Prime day. It was a spur of the moment thing late at night. Cheapest on Amazon now is £160. On Prime day I got another one for £133 I think it was with a voucher. With two batteries I thought that was more than reasonable. It's black Friday soon, they will be cheaper again.
Coming all way from China now too. All of them on Amazon are.
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In reply to Post #1883
Thank you
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In reply to Post #1881
Top man
No more questions just really interested, thought you were making some kind of powder slurry
Keep it all to yourself 
Something good going on for sure which is great to see
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Jacko, GPB2 13mm balanced over Scopex Squid freezer baits
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In reply to Post #1880
Very dodgy questions. Of course it's a SHB trade secret
No. I should really have said, we are taking the 'soluble' food ingredients in that sentance, from inside the cooked bait. Our curing process involves two different types of liquids (cures). Obviously for the Bug, both are based entirely around the Bug liquid food.
I actually asked Jason to send me some readymades to match up too. But only after, I had smelled the base mix for the first time. The base mix, has a very strong creamy aroma, that smells nothing like the liquid food that the finished bait smells of. I knew straight away, when I first smelled the base mix, that we were going to slightly change the smell of the finished Bug hookbaits after it went through our curing processes. I knew we would drag that creamy aroma (among other things) out from the base mix itself. And it did. They are currently being matched up for smell to the human nose (it only matters to you lot, not the fish). The smell to our noses changed ever so slightly, but it's only all stuff that is inside the baits base mix already, we have just dragged it out. That changes the smell very slightly. The important part of the process is that it has also changed the structure of the hook bait itself, how it will now react once it goes under water. It becomes uber soluble, it's been unlocked.
The process is absolutely EVERYTHING. Our GPB2 are so incredible, because they contain a stupid amount of soluble pre digested fishmeal. Locking that inside a bait is very easy. We are unlocking it to a fish through our curing process though. I could give you two hook baits. Both identical in every single way to you. One is made in a traditional way. One is put through our process five times. The difference to the carp is absolutely stupid. One will outfish the other 5 - 1 or more.
No more dodgy questions pretty please. Wait for the hook bait article. It will get posted online eventually
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In reply to Post #1874
taking the dry powdered food ingredients inside the Bug, liquefying it
Interesting reading as usual Mark
So you are soaking the base mix and then drying it out before rolling it? Could be me that has misinterpreted that wrong? If it’s a SH trade secret, no bother
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Dan loving life
Andy's biggest from that 2500 acre public venue, S3 over Creamino freezer baits
FishOn Ricci with a relic, GPB2/S2 over Krill
Carl's son Jude, biggest in lake, GPB2 over Inception freezer baits
Carl, GPB2 over Inception
JUde, GPB2 over Inception
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In reply to Post #1877
Exciting times - should have a message from me
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Ordered and can’t wait to try out
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 |  | |
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In reply to Post #1874
Looking forward to getting these in my collection 😂
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In reply to Post #1874
I would love to take some of these to France on the 4th November. I've messaged the WhatsApp numer. Cheers Matt
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The Bug hook baits are done and at various stages of the curing process currently. They will be ready to send out next week. They are identical to the Bug freezer baits in look and smell. They contain 80% Bug base mix, with some of our gear added to the base mix. The liquid cure, is around 70% Bug liquid food. We took the oils that go into this bait separately, and have processed them before adding them to the hook baits. They have then gone through our curing process five times. Putting them through this process, is taking the dry powdered food ingredients inside the Bug, liquefying it, then popping it all back into the hook bait along with the liquid food. They are 100% food, with natural cork for buoyancy. We have added no binders to the Bug, just our magic.
They have gone through this curing process really, really well. From the catch reports I constantly see, it's a great freezer bait. We have just turned that into a hook bait, that the carp will find absolutely irresistible.
Anybody who has already previously messaged our work phone about them, or PM'd on here will be getting them. We only have a certain amount done for now. The balanced might be slightly more buoyant than ideal on this first batch. I have never seen this bait previously. I even asked Jason to send me a few readymades, just so I could make sure the finished hook baits were identical to the food bait. Knowing how much cork is required to balance them, can only be discovered through practice. You only find out how dense and heavy a mix is, after it's rolled. The Bug is an incredibly light mix it would seem. I would imagine when completed the balanced will be slightly more buoyant than ideal (easy resolve). The pop ups, will hold up a tank in terms of buoyancy.
The only people who are getting these for now, are Jason, a couple of his sponsored anglers and you lot on this forum. Someone asked us in the comments on a social media post this week when the Cheese would be available. I stupidly replied. Two hours later, after a scary amount of messages to our work phone, I had to delete the comment.
Just for these. Please PM me on here, if you are a named CF member who has already previously shown interest in them. I will tell you how to order them. We have them in 16 & 13mm CC pop ups. And 16 & 13mm balanced. They will be sent out next week. Please make sure you add the full name that will be on the order in the PM, and also sizes, pop ups or balanced.
Some of what we have done drying between cures
This two photos below are a 12 egg mix of Bug balanced hook baits in the bin, just after boiling. I had never seen anything like it. After boiling, the structure of the bait changed completely. They underwent some sort of strange chemical reaction in the boiling water. The bait fell apart, crumbled on its own, flaked around the edges and resembled a sponge texturewise. I panicked and was straight on the phone to Jason at DNA. I knew as soon as I boiled them, that DNA would unquestionably have had big problems cooking this bait themselves. This is the reason that the Bug is the only one of their baits, which they will not sell you the base mix for. Jason told me they wasted 100's of kg's of bait while developing it. Loads of it floating, or crumbling if not prepared in certain ways. I could see exactly why!! I have never experienced anything like it with a base mix. Nothing worth having is ever easy. We had already rolled the pop ups. They came out absolutely perfect straight away. But the much higher proportion of cork in the hook baits, had clearly given it far more structural strength. This allowed it to be cooked in a normal way, without provoking this reaction at all. The pop ups were sorted perfectly straight away. The balanced, took a lot more care and attention to get right! A 12 egg mix, is a lot of hook baits in the bin.
Same mix, golden this time.
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In reply to Post #1866
Thank you - how does one get put on the waiting list for some of those bug wafters / hookbaits please ?!
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In reply to Post #1868
Blimey, fished there in 2004 just after John and Maiv acquired it, as a test fish. 4 of us went.
Biggest fish of the week 35lb (his only fish). I had loads and loads, biggest 16lb
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In reply to Post #1845
Well done that man
Must be nice when you have somewhere like that to fish!
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In reply to Post #1868
😂😂 Ridiculous, you couldn’t make it up. Absolutely smashed it out of the park.
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Andrew & Tony are on a tour of public venues in france. They are currently on a 2500 acre venue. After moving around , they have finally located some fish and have started to catch.
Bet they get a monster.
Andrew, white S3 cc pop up.
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What Roger has just done at Lac Serene over the last seven days on a fishing holiday is pretty incredible. He personally caught the biggest fish in the lake, the mid 80 twice. One of the most sort after fish in a French holiday venue apparently. Repeated on several other bigguns as well. Caught the second biggest fish in the venue, and I'm quite sure the third biggest too. He banked 29 fish. Doubt anyone has ever done, what he has just done on that lake in seven days before.
Well done Roger, what a holiday.
All GPB2 crushed cork pop ups
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In reply to Post #1866
I'll be all over them bug baits when you get them sorted mate
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Of course it's okay to talk about other brands of baits on here Reuben.
Of course you will all be able to get some of the Bug hookbaits on here Ron.
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In reply to Post #1863
Loved TnM but don't have freezer space anymore unfortunately to be able to use them.
Just seen the bug post below, how do you get your name down for some of those?
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In reply to Post #1862
Think I'll stick with the bug next year and if I'm lucky enough to get some of the bug specials should be perfect over the top - pretty rare I ever put out a whole bait these days, so my hookbait is often the only 'big' bait in the swim.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1861
For me, TnM
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 | | |
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In reply to Post #1861
Bug and S7 for me but likely going to drop the S7 and just use the Bug. Come the warmer summer months it’s SLK for me.
To be fair I have a lot of Mark’s hookbaits and most of the time it’s just a random pick what I use as I'm confident the fish will pick up any of the hookbaits I decide to use
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Can I ask what people fish thier GPB2 over please? Not sure if it's OK to discuss different brands etc on a thread about specialised baits 😬
Currently fish mine over bug as I've done well with bug bottom baits since release and they also look very similar but smell wise the GPB2 are very sweet smelling and wondered if anyone found something more like the GPB2 to fish the over.
Would have to be a similar colour to the GPB2 as I like to match wafters / pop ups to my bottom baits.
The wafters have done me quite a few fish this first season of using them 👍🏼 can't share pics due to publicity ban unfortunately.
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In reply to Post #1845
The 2 lakes have Some serious fish for a £60 a year book…….
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In reply to Post #1858
'The plated' lovely carp 
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Carl, with what I presume is a very special northern carp. 'The plated' 42lb10oz. GPB2 over Rollin Inception
Carl's son Jude, GPB2 over Inception
David, GPB1
FishOn Ricci, GPB2/S2 over Krill
Mark, large Berks club water, S2 over Wraysbury mc nut
Tacklebox Liam, GPB1
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In reply to Post #1854
Result wise. Just WOW again.
What are the odds on one of the most sought after commons in France being caught 3 times in one week, let alone on the same type of hookbait by 2 different anglers.
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In reply to Post #1855
Addict. She needs to learn to just say no.
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In reply to Post #1854
lol that’s mental
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Been asked not to talk about it now. Twice in as many days the same thing. Get fed the information, and then straight away asked to take it down.
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In reply to Post #1852
Well done 
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Cant wait to try these👌. I will definetly have some balanced and pop ups 👍 I just came back from my latest trip and fished the GPB2 over The Bug and had some lovely fish to low 60s. You said they would work their magic abroad Mark, and you were spot on 👍 100 % confidence in a hookbait.
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 | | |
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In reply to Post #1850
Can’t wait for these 😋
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For all those nutters (lol) who keep messaging asking when they are going to be able to get some Bug hook baits from us.... They are being sorted today and tomorrow, in balanced and pop ups. They will be ready in the next couple of weeks. I know you are all reading this (even as guests), as they have only ever been mentioned on here. Please do not message us anymore asking for them. I will say on here as soon as they are ready.
For now, there is only one large batch being done. Jason the owner and a couple of his anglers will obviously be getting them first. But those of you that use that bait and have been messaging asking for them, will also be getting them too.
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In reply to Post #1848
For any angler who can actually think for themselves, that photograph speaks a thousand words all on its own.
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In reply to Post #1847
Mark when are you selling the specialized snail hookbaits..
They certainly earned those captures between them.
That scaley mirror is stunning.
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Self explanatory.
That's one of our CC pop ups that's been in the lake 24 hours, it's not a freezer bait.
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In reply to Post #1844
The lake is already busy, and being fished by some of the best anglers around. I know Dave Mallin is on there for one. There are some incredible photos, that I will not show, because they give away to much background to blast all over social media. The fish are known about, but now they are bigger.
Daniel the captor of the common, told me his friend Dan here, taught him absolutely everything about that lake. Dan deserves to catch it very much, and he will. That common photo was last November, they were fishing together. It does not come out much and has been kept pretty much a secret for his friend for a year. Daniel is desperate for Dan to catch it. Da works full time and has a young family.
That fish had already put on 10lb in three years. I'd imagine it's bigger now. It's an incredible looking common. I think personally, this mirror Dan is holding is even better.
Dan prepares the fermented garlic hemp too.
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In reply to Post #1843
Refreshing is the word for me. Let’s hope it is kept quiet and it keeps the carp circus away!
Nice to know they are still out there
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In reply to Post #1841
Hearing the sheer unbridled joy from this young bloke and his friend about their captures, has restored my faith in carp fishing a little bit recently.
Especially after a Summer of shameful embarrassment from some of the shouty nods.
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Small things amuse small minds. Made me laugh yesterday when someone sent it.
Ricci smashing up his new lake instantly. GPB2 over Krill
Carl, GPB2 over Rollin Inception freezer baits
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In reply to Post #1835
Well done that man, love it!
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In reply to Post #1839
I was asked to remove it. That's why that post is now edited. He's 19 and wants to post it himself when he gets home. That's fair enough. It's the fish of a life-time.
I am likely to run off and hide again anytime soon. See you all sometime after Xmas maybe....
Thank you all reading this. We don't employ any famous anglers to sell our products. We don't offer any kind of 'team' benefits. So we don't have team members on social media fighting our corner to get 50p off. Just me, and photos of our customers. It's a very simple formula, but a very honest one. All the blokes photos on this page are working men as far as I know. Most of them get to fish one or two nights a week. We rely on photographs from our normal customers. Many of them, don't like showing their photos. They simply do not want to give up their edge, when they are paying full price. Who can blame them? I don't get to go fishing myself hardly anymore. But I still manage to live my fishing dreams every single day, through our customers.
It all makes me very proud. I lost count a long time ago now... Of just how many members of this forum alone have smashed their personal best using our hook baits in the past couple of years. This forum, is actually a very small fraction of our clientele in reality. But it gives the perfect window, into what is capable if you use our hook baits properly.
Honestly, thank you all. For the kind words, the messages, and thank you for the photos. xxx
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In reply to Post #1837
Wow. Great fish.
Twice out on GPB2 in as many days.
You cannot deny they are a bit moor-ish and special then
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In reply to Post #1837
Jeez... There's some absolute bangers being caught 👏👏👏
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In reply to Post #1831
...
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Lewis, GPB2, beautiful fish.
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Daniel, 57lb last November. Red S3 cc. Epic carp, from a large undisclosed UK venue.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1833
Ridiculous hookbaits
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In reply to Post #1832
Tomorrow morning mate, just been given the permission to show it.
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In reply to Post #1830
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Roger is currently in France. He's only been there two nights so far with our GPB2 cc pop ups.
He's already had an 86lb6oz, a 68lb+, a 57lb+ and a 53lb+. He currently has three 40's in slings waiting to be photographed, plus another monster that's not been weighed yet apparently.
86lb6oz
68lb+
57lb+
53lb+
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From a large public access venue. About as good as a UK carp gets IMO. Will be allowed to show you it soon. Incredible fish.
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Different Dan, we're lucky to see these ones.
S3. Incredible carp Dan, bloody well done.
45lb+
41lb+
37lb+
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Daniel with some special carp. GPB1 & GPB2.
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In reply to Post #1826
Incredible carp that one 😍
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Chris with the incredible 'Rosie' from the Woolpack. 45lb8oz, GPB1 crushed cork pop up fished over Creamino freezer baits.
Highgrade Chris.
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Forum member Rich, first trip out for two months. Both white S2 balanced.
42lb
37lb
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In reply to Post #1823
Touch wood, I’d never had a crushed cork come off a bait screw (I use the plastic Korda type ones), but changed to hair rigging them - better safe than sorry and I can’t see the downside. Just tie a loop to a ring or swivel, got 3 or 4 pre-tied but still using the same 18 month old one 😂
Still got a few corkballs S2’s left. £3 each lol.
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Matt and his friend, ended up with 21 carp between them in a week from a large Croatian public venue. More than a dozen other carp anglers from around Europe fishing the same venue, on the same week. All of them, every single one blanked.
Matt and his mate, had just one tub of S2, and one tub of GPB1 between the two of them. The fish had never seen one of our hook baits before. Matt's Croatian friend, simply could not understand what was happening.
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Forum member Bashmiester, UK pb, smidge under 50lb. Balanced S2. Well done Martin.
Aaron hauling at Papercourt again. 35lb+ S2
Tacklebox Liam, GPB1
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In reply to Post #1820
They will work and catch fish dried back out without question. They will never be as good as they were originally obviously, but you can reuse them. They will also not be as durable second time around.
Pop them in a pop up tub after you have dried them out. You will find after a few days they will magically regain some smell. This is to do with the cork, and our curing process.
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In reply to Post #1819
TC, I've got three GBP2's on the dashboard of my van and 3 sat on the hooks. At what point would you say they are past their best of stored in certain conditions?
To be honest, the three on the dash will probably stay their, along with the assorted back leads and PVA bags of mixers that have been sat there for over a year 
So, would having them dry out for a week or so affect solubility?
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Nigel with the big fully from his Kent syndicate, first time over 40lb. GPB2 balanced
FishOn Ricci first night on a new water. One of five.
GPB2/S2 over Krill
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Graham again, 46lb12oz ‘blackeye’ from Frimley. One of 3 first night back. S2
Aaron again, making Papercourt look easy. S2 over Wraysbury MC Nut
Matt, first night in Croatia. S2
Forum member Gary GPB2 over K2
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Graham, Frimley S2. 430 mile round trip from Manchester for 48 hours. He’s been hauling recently
35lb+
Aaron, Papercourt S2 over Wraysbury MC nut.
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Aaron with another of the Papercourt A team today, ‘the ear’ 44lb8oz, S2 over Wraysbury Baits nut mix.
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In reply to Post #1811
Someone else did mention it before. I’ve never had a problem. Loads up the last page instantly. It’s only a few photos mate. Not like it’s HD video or anything big like that. If you try to open up the entire 45 odd pages of photos every time, then I’m sure it will take a while. But mine only loads up the last page unless I ask it to load all of them?
But even when I’m in Brazil, on crap wifi it always loads instantly for me.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1808
Good luck mate,
we ended up with nearly forty fish to 68 as a group
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1804
pub chuck king he is 
strange thing, like you said mate, i did everything like i normally do, my bro, who really doesnt care one bit, flings three rods out on singles, cant be bothered to bait etc, marker, feel the lead down has 8 carp, all over the 30 including a 41 and a 58 
bloody fair play too him though
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In reply to Post #1811
No it's pretty much instant.
I have to say though I'm using a Windows 10 laptop and MS Edge, that could make a difference
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| | | RKB | | Posts: 1080 | | |
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In reply to Post #1810
Does it not take a while to move from this thread to the next when you click the button? For me it seems as though it's delayed and is waiting for the images to load before moving on. I am sure someone else mentioned similar before.
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In reply to Post #1809
I use Read the next topic. It's the way I use the forum, if the thread doesn't interest me I just click again.
Not had a problem with this thread though.
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| | | RKB | | Posts: 1080 | | |
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In reply to Post #1807
I use the "Read the next topic..." function and so it just throws me straight into the thread. I can't navigate the forum any other way without missing stuff.
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In reply to Post #1804
They had a good week. I’m back there Sunday for 2 weeks (likely my final session there☹️  .
Hoping for a repeat of last year when GPB2 produced one of the once-a-year bigguns for me.
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In reply to Post #1806
I was having that problem if I clicked on "read all pages" but clicking on the thread title just brings up the latest page which loads quickly, at least it does for me.
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| | | RKB | | Posts: 1080 | | |
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Would it be possible to create a new chapter for this thread? The vast amount of pictures of the fine carp seem to be causing a fairly hefty slowdown.
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Nice one Joss, looks like you had a great trip
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Joss the Mod and his better looking brother at Labyrinth. GPB2 over Poacher TigerNut & Maple. Joss fished properly, using a boat, finding spots, used loads & loads of bait.
On the other hand, his brother had a party, pub chucked from the bank, used 5kg of T&M & a tub of GPB2 all week and smashed them. Caught the most, caught the biggest. 😂
FishOn Joe, GPB2
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Aaron, first trip back to Papercourt since Spring. 41lb+, S2 over Wraysbury baits nutmix.
Mark & Aaron had been fishing a notoriously tough large Berks club water all summer. S2
FishOn Ricci GPB2/S2 over Krill
Polish angler Marek, new pb 25kg+, GPB2 over garlic hemp. Well done Marek 💪🏻
Forum member Boo, S2 over DNA Bug.
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In reply to Post #1799
He landed in UK from Tenerife with the family late last night. At the gate at 4am and he’s already had this cheese this morning 😂
Sam, Sutton, GPB1 over Poacher tigernut & maple
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In reply to Post #1799
DP First one I have ever done.
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In reply to Post #1798
I just see it. I replied to a WhatsApp message earlier on the work phone. That’s the way mate, not PM on here 👍🏻
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1792
Good ole Ranson, lovely lad/chap.
Known him for years right back to when he Rolled for Poachers.
Lovely to see him back behind the rods again and doing so well.
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In reply to Post #1791
Tcarper sent you a pm mate 👍
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In reply to Post #1796
I bought a spool of nash lead wire, works great...small.drill,push a bit of wire it and cut it off.
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anyone find that the balanced baits/wafters are more like pop ups my 2 tubs pop up size 4 hooks had to use shots below the bait
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In reply to Post #1794
It’s a cracker
Should have chopped the trees down in the background, they will be queuing up for that swim now
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In reply to Post #1793
I’d say so mate. The mirror is one of the Frimley A team. Memories for life. There’s a few happy faces and memories below
Here’s a funny little story I realised recently whilst I was on my death bed. At the beginning of the summer, I wrote something on my personal Faceache mentioning stuff that was happening with work. I made an anecdotal joke, referring to our hook baits as ‘magic beans’ and the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
I also referred to the hook baits as ‘magic beans’ on here quite a few times at the same time, I’m sure many of you remember.
I had repeated deadly serious messages straight away from a European customer, asking how to make the ‘magic beans’. I had to explain it was a joke, referring to our hook baits.
Fast forwards to two weeks ago, I was so sick, whilst scrolling social media an advert pops up from a newish bait company…. MAGIC BEAN hook baits. Hahahahahaha it made me laugh so much. That’s so incredibly funny. Never had any intention of using that name whatsoever. It was a joke.
I’m glad to be of service, I’m also very glad that you are all looking in on here so regular party people. You certainly never saw that on my Faceache.
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In reply to Post #1792
Nice
Graham must be a happy man, used to take my daughter too now and again, quality time
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These ones are also from a forum member Sam. He used to work for Poacher Baits 20 years ago with my friend Gary Bainbridge, who sadly passed away a few years back. Sam used to roll my TigerNut & Maple back in day. Last time I had spoke to Sam before recently, he was just a teenager. Now he has a family of his own. He never shows his photos normally.
He recently started using our hook baits for the first time on Sutton 2, which he has fished for twenty years now. First three mornings, three big carp, one everyday on days only. He’s never done that before. Never three in three.
GPB1 over Poacher Baits T&M.
Gavin Bainbridge, Gary’s son runs Poacher Baits now. The T&M is still as good as it ever was. To me, the original nut mix designed by Gary & Steve Ludlow.
Our S2 was designed while I was using this bait. I once wrote a thread on the old Cemex forum extolling the virtues of the T&M, and nut mixes in general. At a time when NOBODY in reality used them. Fishmeal dominated absolutely everything. I was laughed at a bit by the bait buffs of the day (including PeteB). “Cheap, rubbish nut mixes”. This was nearly 20 years ago now. Oh how times have changed.
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FishOn Ricci, completing another Kent syndicate. The biggest common is 45lb+ and there’s a couple of other A teamers.
GPB2/S2 over Krill.
Forum member Jack, two low 30’s S2.
Forum member Lee new pb common 35lb+ GPB1
Forum member Aaron white S2
Graham S2
Mark, from a large tough Berks venue. S2
Steve Long Lake S2
Clint GPB1
Andy GPB2 over K2
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I hope you are all a lot better than I have been for the past two weeks. I have been so sick with some hideous virus. I have not done a test, but I am quite certain I’ve had Covid. I have just locked myself away from everyone. I was tripping out for a week or so. Many people have tried to get hold of us over the past two weeks, I’ve missed so many emails and text messages. I apologise, no one was being ignored, I was just dying and not with it most of the time..
I’ve lost 12kg in 16 days. Finally seem to be improving a bit now.
Work is completely up to date with all orders up until yesterday afternoon.Tonnes of orders went out this morning alone.
I am likely not going to be about again for a while. I had worked myself into the ground a bit over a two month period, which is why I think whatever I’ve had, hit me so badly. Have a load of photos to post, which I will do now.
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In reply to Post #1788
Doesn't matter what you fish them over just use what your confident in
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What is your go to bait when fishing s2 hook baits over the top
Also gpb2
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 | | |
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In reply to Post #1786
Text the mobile number on the website for a quicker response 👍🏻
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In reply to Post #1785
sent message.
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Steve, first trip since May, 46lb2oz new pb from Long Lake in Reading. Well done Steve 💪🏻
White S2
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In reply to Post #1783
Well done Jack 💪🏻
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In reply to Post #1782
Yeah that‘s me, backed up that second fish with a 31 common this morning on the S2 too
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Before I jog along, two forum members.
James, first 40+, S2 balanced. 43lb8oz. Well done James!
I do not know this lads name, but he's def a member of here. S2. Top common is lovely!
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I will not be about online for a little while now.
We are crazy busy. We are pretty much up to date with all orders. That will continue. But, I personally have not had a day off for the last five weeks now. 39 days straight, Sat, Sun, bank holiday, all the same.
If you need to get hold of us regarding an outstanding order. Always text or WhatsApp message the work mobile. Number is on contact page of our website. Don't call, it's always on silent and never gets answered.
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In reply to Post #1779
Depends on what rig you are using. Any rig with loads of extra metal work, or tungsten kickers and the like, with a chod or a SHR you will need not much putty with a 16mm. If using the same 16mm with a multi rig, clearly you will need to use a bit of putty. They have to cover every situation.
SHR 16mm, multi rig or normal pop up rigs 13mm.
They all work exceptionally well in cold water. If anything, they become even more effective than in the summer I'd say, in comparison to anything else. S2 has over a decade of winters doing incredible things in cold water. If I had to pick one for cold water, personally it would be the S2, S3 or S4. Others tell me the GPB1 are just as good in cold water.
The GPB2 contain so much soluble fishmeal, I gave anyone who asked the advice last two winters to avoid them in extreme cold water (Jan/Feb). I was clearly wrong. Anglers have told me they have clumped fish all winter on them.
But still if pressed, winter for me, personally it would always be S2. But that's only because I have caught so many fish on them in cold water.
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Are the crushed corks mega buoyant? Do you need much putty to hold it down?
What’s your go to hookbait for this time of year also what hookbait works well in winter as I will ge getting my prep ready for winter also
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That Woolpack carp is incredible. Not quite as impressive but I had a lovely black low-20 at the weekend on S2 CC during a social with friends. Really enjoying using the hookbaits and love seeing the calibre of fish they're nicking out
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In reply to Post #1775
Such a good idea sticking them in the avid case, does anyone know which one this is? Not long made my first order, keep missing the postman! Had to redirect to neighbour, hopefully they don't fish😂😂
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In reply to Post #1767
Received this morning thanks very much 👍
Cheers for the extra pink ones too 😁 they smell amazing
Can't wait to give them a go tomorrow
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Dutch carp angler Bas. Not sure if Bas is a forum member or not. He ordered a load of stuff in May. He messaged this morning, to say he's been having a great old time with the hook baits. Dutch fish going absolutely mental for them apparently. The biggest 22.4kg from the canal
Great photos Bas.
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In reply to Post #1772
Nice pictures of the linear, love those old ones, survivors, incredible
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In reply to Post #1771
Could well be going to see if the tidal Trent beards have a taste for them, soon.
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Alan, the Big Lin from Woolpack. 50+ years old, 44lb. The one he desperately wanted to catch. S2 over Creamino freezer baits.
Fish On Ricci, 'The Angry', last biggun he needed from the other Kent syndicate. GPB2/S2 over Krill freezer baits.
David, biggest couple of 9 landed bank holiday weekend. GPB2
Tacklebox Liam, GPB1
Andy, these two plus caught the lakes big common for second time in weeks. Slipped it back without a photo. GPB2 over K2 freezer baits
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In reply to Post #1769
GPB2 bottom bait barrels. The barbel absolutely adore them.
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In reply to Post #1768
Well done Chris.
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Now it’s coming into the time of year i do a bit of time on the river, any of your bottom baits you’d recommend for barbel? Nearly run out of my old sonubaits oily hookers that i’ve caught quite a few on and they don’t do them anymore.
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New PB to the pink S2's today. One of only 2 fish out from the lake today, both to the one rod I had S2 on.... I think they may go on all the rods next time!
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In reply to Post #1766
They come RM 24 signed for Dean. They are already wrapped up, will be going early Tuesday morning. They should easily be there in time for Thursday.
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In reply to Post #1765
Yes that's me mate, 16mm S2 balanced CC.
Cheers mate I'll keep them in my bag which I keep in the house anyway.
I did text you about them yesterday too but just asking the same questions
Do they go out on a next day delivery? Got a session booked for Thursday on my local so would love to give them a bash then
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In reply to Post #1764
They will go on Tuesday, which is our first delivery after the bank holiday Dean. 16mm balanced S2 you ordered yes? Is that you?
Store them indoors in your fishing bag. No need to fridge or freeze them. Don't store them in a shed or a garage, or mice will find them.
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In reply to Post #1760
Just placed an order this morning for 16mm CC S2
How long would delivery take?
Also how is best to store these? Would an air tight container be ok?
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In reply to Post #1760
Ordered yesterday (24th) delivered today (25th) cracking service 👍👍
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Forum member Bashmeister.
39lb8oz & 34lb10oz. Both GPB2 fished over Atlantic Heat freezer baits. Well done Martin.
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Jacko, lovely dark common. GPB2 13mm balanced, fished over Scopex Squid freezer baits.
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Not quite sure how, as last week we were nearly three weeks behind with certain orders..... But we wanted to get as close to up to date if possible, before this weekends bank holiday.
Barring just a few orders in the past few days, that contained either 16mm white S2 pop ups, or GPB2 13mm balanced, we managed to get completely up to date with all orders yesterday. Right up until midday yesterday afternoon in fact. We sent out an incredibly stupid amount of product every single day this week.
Far more, than we ever have before.
We still have a two week waiting time on the front of our website. But if you are reading this as a guest and are waiting for an order from us, it should be with you by today. Today is the first day in months, that we do not have a waiting time in reality.
Have a great weekend.
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More from Fish On tackle Ricci and that Kent syndicate.
Most of these were caught at times, when we were simply far to busy to be posted by us on social media. Most of them have never been posted on here either. Ricci works full time too.
Proud of you chavi xx
The linear
Sargent
The broken linear
Three scale
The rare mirror
The middle fully
The upfront fully
The fully
Big tail
Not the little plated
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Jimmy, Lucy's bowl charity event at Wraysbury last weekend. He won it last year and caught the biggest fish... This year 2nd with the biggest fish again. Jimmy was the original Frimley ripper with our S2. Last few years he has been fishing a strictly no publicity venue, like so many of our long term customers. He is still smashing them, just can't show them anymore.
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In reply to Post #1756
That common is immaculate
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Forum member NickyNapkins, 43lb from his Essex club water. A fish called the half lin. GPB2 balanced. Well done Nicky!
Forum member Gary, GPB2 balanced fished over K2 boilies.
Fish On Ricci, GPB2/S2 fished over Krill.
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In reply to Post #1752
I would have said a multi rig as well. But any simple rig.
8-12" of 15lb mono with a simple no knot with a D, is a deadly rig, that hardly anyone uses anymore.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1752
Multi rig everytime
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In reply to Post #1752
flouro d-rig for me for balanced hookbaits over a clean/silty bottom which I predominantly fish over
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Hi Everyone,
Just wondering what rigs everyone uses with the 13mm balanced baits and if I could see some examples/pictures of some rigs everyone uses😁
Thanks guys
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Well done JT, and well done Andy
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had a social with a mate last week on a predominantly match water with a few carp from mid to upper 20,but theyre old fish. pink s2 doing the business.
22lb,it does go 24/25 pre spawning.
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First outing with S2 CCs on an overnighter and had four out of the edge over a a few handfuls of hemp, maples and tigers. Nothing huge but four certainly isn’t the norm from the water. I’m left now eyeing up the pot thinking when I ought to place the next order
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That is a proper collection of carp!Ricci could probably catch out of a puddle.
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He posted them on Faceache the other day. Put together like that, it's a serious compilation of monstros UK carp.
They are all Ken Crow fish. Incredible strain of carp. That strain is in the KG and some of the other London ressies.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1744
epic captures
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In reply to Post #1744
some amazing fish there!
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The one big common Ricci wanted from his Kent syndicate, was found dead in the spring, so his time on that pit is now over. Some of these fish have been posted on here before, but a lot of them have not.
What an impressive array of big UK carp. 62+ the biggest, 50's & 40's the rest.
Black linear
Nelson
Chestnut common
Big plated
Tels common
Slopehead
Big leney
The Italian
Black spot
Tors common
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Fish On Ricci, GPB2/S2, over the shops particle & Krill.
TackleBox Liam. The lad has had seven 20lb+ on work overnighters the past week alone, from eleven fish banked. All from a couple of different Kent club waters. Well done Liam. GPB1 & GPB2 13mm cc pop ups.
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Fish On Ricci with another of his Kent syndicate's A team. Going through them rapido as normal, making a tough lake look easy.
GPB2/S2 combo fished over his own shops particle and Krill. Drop Scale Lin. What a lovely carp.
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Tacklebox Liam, GPB1, what a beautiful carp.
Gary, local club lake GPB2 fished over K2. Gary has been hauling on work overnighters.
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In reply to Post #1738
They are so stupidly attractive to all fish.
You have seen with your own eyes the sort of thing that you will not see on any underwater camera set up. Not one's for selling Chinese plastic or cardboard balls. I'll give them all some stuff for their underwater cameras... Trouble is, the cameras would likely never see anything whatsoever, the water would be so clouded up with fish in a complete feeding frenzy. When the sediment settled, the camera would probably be knocked over, and one foot of gravel stripped from the spot. But they would have a lot more big carp for the photographs.
But that will not sell to many brightly coloured cardboard balls, or £50 worth of plastic rig components either will it.
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In reply to Post #1680
I've been doing really well since the beginning of July on the GBP2 CC's over Bug. Not had a decent nights sleep since using them! Considering the pond hasn't been exactly fishing it's head off, once again everything that swam was having a go the other night, to the point where I had a recast at midnight just to make sure the hookbaits were still on as I've had occasions when the roach and skimmers have been smashing the hookbaits. I even caught a tench on a ball of bare crushed cork, the external coatings had been completely stripped .
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In reply to Post #1736
Andy said similar too. A few others have said same thing to me last week or so. I have not seen the K2 yet.
That was quite an irregular result Andy had for that lake, to get 7 bites in 24 hours.
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In reply to Post #1729
GBP2 and ABS K2 are born to be together……
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Fish On Charlie, first fish from a new syndicate. GPB2 bottom bait barrel over the shops particle.
Tackle Box Liam, DDAP's Brooklands. GPB1
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Chris, first trip back to Woolpack after lake spawning closure. A fish called pink tips, a very old and rare visitor to the bank apparently. GPB2
Andy, 7 in 24 hours from his Sussex syndicate. Biggest 39lb+. GPB2 over HydraK-2 & particle from Fish On
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In reply to Post #1732
We will do exactly the same thing as we did with the Mainline stuff previously mate. We will add a few of our own bits and pieces, and then put them through our curing process five times. They will look and smell the same as the Bug that you know. But they will be very different to a carp.
They are already an incredible freezer bait, going by just the catch results alone. We will turn that, into a hook bait, that the carp cannot not leave alone.
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In reply to Post #1729
thanks for the reply mate,really intruiged with what magic you're gping to work with the bug hookbaits..
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In reply to Post #1730
Nice common
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Forum member John (Slim). Got his stuff on the 27th July, after a problem with RM. Today a week later, we got this lovely message back. Well done John.
S2
S2, 40+
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In reply to Post #1727
Hello Andy. I already know exactly what will be happening mate. We will be doing a Bug hook bait at some point. The top photograph, is waiting for me at the Tackle Box. It arrived just before I sodded off to Brazil. It's to work on some Bug hook baits, and see how they react to our process in a physical sense. I have not had a chance to go get it yet. I will likely get it sent over, I have been so busy since I got back. I have been working since 5am, and it's Sunday. I won an absolute fortune this week at Goodwood, as anyone on my personal Faceache knows. The last thing I really want to be doing is working 16 hours on a Sunday... But needs must. If someone came up with a great offer for SHB, right now today.... I'd likely take it, show them the crown jewels and let them go forwards with it all. But that's because it's Sunday, and I don't fancy working every single day for the next six weeks right now .
Our waiting time is around a week, but I am scared to post anything else on the other social medias. Rich, off this forum became our most liked post ever on Faceache with 3.8k likes. That broke the record from the day before, of 3.2k likes of Matt's photo of that London mirror. Things have exploded a bit.
I have the hook bait part of my ramblings ready to post online... I posted a very small part of it on here before. But I cannot do that yet either until things start to calm down a touch. I already know what that is going to do, well in advance. I talk a little bit for the first time about our curing process, which I have never done before. The two boxes in the photos below are smothered in liquified S2. Pink and white S2. It's become fashionable to use hydroslates recently... Liquified foods. Well, we have actually been hydrolysing real food in our own way for 15 - 20 years, via our curing process. You can't do this with cardboard/rubber balls. . The photo of the dead blue bottle flies.... I have spoken about them being attracted by what we do before. They liquify their food before they eat it. They are incredibly attracted by what we achieve with our curing process. Just like the carp, and all other fish.
One of the photos below, is me sitting in someone else's god awful Nash bivvy at Fen Drayton, long before SHB was even a thing. Even back then, I never wanted my photo taken. That's just me. I have always been far to secretive about the hook baits as well. Because right from the very start, every silly sausage has wanted/tried to rip us off everytime I opened my mouth. . We are long past all of that now. Me talking about the hook baits this year, is a good thing. It's time to reveal a bit more to the carp world, about exactly why the magic beans do, exactly what they do. Not all of it obviously, just some of it. But we need to wait until things calm down a touch first before that gets posted. Just like the Bug hook baits. Otherwise, we simply get over run.
Jason of DNA will get some first. We might then end up doing some as specials on here maybe straight away, because we keep constantly getting messages about them ever since I first mentioned them. I also had a good conversation with Geoff Bowers before my holiday, about HydraK maybe being another. I need to speak to Geoff again at some point this week. To many things to do, never enough time.
We are also going to release the Cheese this year. That has been ready to go for nearly two years now. That is epic.
Please, do not message us asking for any of the above. We don't have them. I am likely to completely disappear from online again for a little while. Including from on here. WhatsApp or Text is the way to get hold of us regarding a missing order.
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In reply to Post #1726
I was so clueless to all of this mate, until I started SHB. We have never discounted anything. We have never had a sale. We never will either. If that means we will lose a small proportion of custom. Oh well.
Our product sells itself, so we do not need to sell it cheap.
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In reply to Post #1725
morning mate, are.we.any closer to finding out what you're going to be doing with dna baits and the bug?? love the bug,love the pulling power of your hookbaits..
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In reply to Post #1718
Some people will only buy something they perceive as a 'bargain'. They will buy something only on low cost, that something has to be 'discounted'. The product quality itself does not matter to them, as long as it is cheap. The concept of real value is often lost on these people.
I have worked in the food industry for years.... i once had a conversation with a sales person who had worked for all the major retailers.... they termed this type of person a magpie shopper and in essence supermarkets are layed out to catch them. Its why the end of the isles always have the saver deals on them. Ive seen first hand a product that sold for £1 and as a example sold 500 cases a day, same exact product was still sold for £1 and had a bit red sticker saying a £1 on it and the amount sold over doubled... people perceive a bargain.
The supermarkets have finally started to get shopped for it now - they purposefully make it difficult to compare prices of products then use promos to trick people into thinking it cheaper
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Good nighttime self takes.
Ricci, one of the A team, GPB2/S2 over Krill.
Forum member Gary. One of 4 on an overnighter. GPB2 over HydraK.
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In reply to Post #1723
Pecs like a flying fish 😄
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Nigel with an impressive Italian. S4 13mm cc over Manila. Size of that bloody pec!
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CF member Ian, pair of recent 30’s, S2
Ricci, S2/GPB2
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Chris on his social again, another one of the lakes bigguns yesterday and a great photo with his friend Sam. Good memories on a social with mates. GPB1 over Tuna & Garlic.
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Andy, beautiful zip, 32lb, GPB2 over HydraK.
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Chris, on a social at Creedance fisheries. One of the lakes bigguns, GPB1 over Urban Tuna & Garlic.
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In reply to Post #1715
All of us when we buy things, have very set habits mate, not just fishing kit either. My mate Gary from the Tackle Box first wised me up to all this, as I was totally clueless to it. I'd been a plasterer most my life, casinos before that. Never retail.
Some people will only buy something they perceive as a 'bargain'. They will buy something only on low cost, that something has to be 'discounted'. The product quality itself does not matter to them, as long as it is cheap. The concept of real value is often lost on these people.
In exactly the same way, that some people will only buy the very most expensive things available. They will buy something only on brand & a higher cost.
And everything in between those two extremes.
Some carp anglers are totally pre programmed to need a totally, and perfectly spherical pop up. It triggers something inside them, if it is not aesthetically pleasing to themselves (like that matters to a carp). Does not matter to them if it's just an insoluble rubber/cardboard ball... As long as it is spherical, they are happy.
The list goes on and on and on. People have very different purchasing tastes and criteria, and you can never please everyone.
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Forum member Rich. First night back this weekend at Welly, white S2 balanced.
47lb12oz
36lb+
Ricci, Masons, GPB2/S2 over Krill & particle.
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In reply to Post #1713
I just gave Parky some 13mm S3’s as I rarely use them (prefer the crushed corks). Should’ve kept them safe along with the 13mm S2’s I’ve got and put them towards the retirement plan
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I also like the way the crushed corks are not a perfectly round ball. I can’t think of much a carp would naturally eat that is perfectly spherical, but some people are very precious about their balls.
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In reply to Post #1713
100% I much prefer the crushed as there trimmable and I like having a flat spot on the top
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We will likely just stop selling the cork balls eventually Carl. That will upset a small number of our older customers.
We sell 20 times more crushed corks than cork balls now anyway. They are simply a far superior hook bait anyway. They contain 50% more of the liquids. You can pierce or trim them. They are far more durable.
We don't have to be held to ransom for the cork balls, so we will not be mate.
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In reply to Post #1711
Yea it’s not good pal. Hopefully you can resolve it
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In reply to Post #1710
No Carl. Cork plays a very important part in our hook baits and not just for buoyancy. It's a completely natural product. This is all to do with the old man who died of Covid in Portugal in 2021 and to a degree us leaving Europe too. These kind of high quality cork balls are cut from one piece of solid cork. Anything else is a mulch of glue and cork. Crap. The machinery that he used was sold, along with everything else just after he died. I know this, because we actually looked into purchasing it when we found out that he had passed. But unfortunately we did not find out soon enough, and it had already all been sold by the family.
He made 95% of the cork balls used by UK carp fishing. It left a vacuum where for a year, demand far outsripped supply. That's why we stopped selling 16mm cork balls. The 12mm corks we used were impossible to obtain in the quantities that we required. Now anyone making these things are just taking the utter piss.
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In reply to Post #1709
Is there an alternative mark ? You’d think nowadays they’d have found something that can replicate cork
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Whilst I was away in Brazil on holiday we needed a load of 10mm corkballs which make our 12mm corkball hook baits. They have just increased in price, from approx £210 including vat per 5000... Up to £370 per 5000.
This is just stupid. Things are on the increase, but not to that pisstaking extent. Clearly our cork ball prices are about to increase again when our current rolled stock runs out completely. We cannot near double our prices, which is being put onto us.
Not sure what will happen regarding these in the future. They are literally becoming untenable now with these crazy price increases.
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In reply to Post #1707
Kids these days..... I have always thought the same thing mate. When I first showed that photograph, it had to be with the entire background blurred, which totally ruined the photo.
That's a very special carp, from a large London drinking water reservoir. Not the King George.
This S2 muncher below was from the KG. Another truly epic big carp.
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In reply to Post #1702
That’s an incredible picture. There’s a rawness to it.
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Fish On Ricci with one of the Masons bigguns Lemon Scale. GPB2/S2 over Krill & his shops particle.
Steve social on Yateley Pads lake, 40+ S2
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It’s absolutely traumatised some kids holding 15lb commons in their profile pics. Grown men too. Apparently I’m a noddy, Matts a thief (fishing rights) and the entire world might end 😆
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In reply to Post #1702
Nobody noticed the bloke on the crane in the background without his hard hat on tho did they?
Awesome brace shot 😍
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In reply to Post #1702
Cracking picture, love it
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Might as well post them here too, the brace shot has upset quite a few new age carpers on Faceache today, loads in fact.
From a strictly no fishing venue in London. No name, completely off the radar. Epic IMO. Controversial for some though 😂
Matty S2
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Coincidence today. Two x 46lb6oz.
Forum member Rich, 46lb6oz the linear from Welly, S2 balanced. One he really wanted. Well done mate.
David with a repeat capture of his syndicates biggest. 46lb6oz GPB2.
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In reply to Post #1697
Quote... Has this fish been ottered? Looks like a missing gill plate?
I have no clue mate. But now you mention it, the fish does seem to have a big dent/scar close to the gill plate. But the gill plate all seems there.
I'll ask him, although I am quite sure that was on a social type weekend at a completely new lake/venue for Jacko, just like Sam below. He's a very good angler, catches loads. He's only just started using our hook baits last couple of weeks, he's very impressed going by what he has caught and said since he got them.
He is another person to mention that if there are any cats in your lake, the GPB2 is like crack cocaine for them. To be 100% avoided if you do not wish to catch them. Unless you are after them ..... .
We will be completely up to date with all orders again this week, Any outstanding orders that could not go last week, will be going tomorrow. I've just got back from holiday and have a load of PM's on here again regarding orders. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, ALWAYS contact us via text or WhatsApp message on our work mobile (number on contact page of website). You will get a near instant reply. Email or PM's on here, they might never even get seen is the reality.
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In reply to Post #1695
😂 thanks Joss, back now mate.
Sam 2nd night on new Berks syndicate. 43lb10oz & 30+. GPB1
Andy brace 30+ S2
Ricci GPB2/S2
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1696
I know, far too understanding
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In reply to Post #1694
Has this fish been ottered? Looks like a missing gill plate?
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In reply to Post #1695
Such a caring mod Joss
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1694
The next time you post when your on holiday mate, im suspending your account until you home
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Jacko, 41lb+ GPB2 balanced over Scopex Squid
TackleBox Liam GPB1
David S2
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In reply to Post #1692
Thank you both very much for the detailed replys, very helpful indeed
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In reply to Post #1691
I’m using a size 4 hook on a spinner rig. Granted it’s a fairly light gauge but using that tiny bit of foam is all it needs to hold it up for 24-30 hours. Never tried longer or needed to.
I’d happily use the 16s I’ve only gone to 13s for the long range work just to minimise drag.
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In reply to Post #1688
You are not interrupting anything Ian. Even though I am on holiday… I have lots more time than normal. It’s only 7am in Brazil, I am up before everyone else as I am still on UK time.
Carl would have been kindly referring to the 13mm Ian. The 13mm, are less buoyant than the 16mm.
The 16mm will all hold up any sized hook, on any rig. SHR, Chod, anything with all the extra metal work.
The 13mm will hold up any size hook on a multi rig or any other normal type of rig. On a chod or SHR or anything else where lots of extra metalwork is used, size 8 hooks maximum. The 13mm will not hold up a size 4 on a chod or SHR for days.
13mm for multi rigs or smaller sized hooks on chods etc. 16mm will hold up anything whatsoever forever. Manchester Graham was using 13mm white S2 cc below. We sell a very even split of both sizes over all of our customers. In the winter more 13mm, in the summer far more 16mm.
All of our hook baits are pure food and cork. There are zero glass spheres or light powders added for buoyancy like standard type pop ups. The powders are all there for specific catching reasons, not buoyancy reasons. The S series base mix is by far the heaviest. That’s S2, S3 & S4. Followed by the GPB1. The GPB2 is by far the lightest, consequently the most buoyant.
Here is something I have never spoken about on here before regarding our hook baits. Colour, and size.
Traditional thinking with air ball type pop ups, is a bright color and the smallest size possible. Forget that. The opposite is in fact true with our hook baits. You are actually better with a larger size hook bait. A larger sized hook bait contains more of the magic. A larger size pumps it out for longer. It’s as simple as that. Traditional thinking with air ball pop ups is you need that bright colour. Well with our hook baits you simply do not. They work in a different way, triggering completely different senses. The best S2 we make is the standard brown. That is not the biggest seller. The white and pink are. The dyes added to the mixes only serves to lock them up slightly. It’s the only powder that goes into our hook baits that is not pure food, inherently attractive in its own right. The browns wash out to a pukka light yellow color very rapidly. They become more subtly visual really quickly. In the summer within one hour of being in the water they will be a completely different colour to the dark brown in the tub. Our GPB1 are the same.
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In reply to Post #1689
Thanks Carl much appreciated, which size were you using mate if you don't mind me asking
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In reply to Post #1688
If marks not about I’ll try help out.
GB2 I’ve found the most buoyant and will hold up a 4. But to be on safe side I use a small piece of zig foam just under the hookbait. Only talking a 3mm slither of 6mm foam and I’ve had no issues over 24hrs being in the lake.
Gb1 is very similar. The s2 crushed corks I just use a slightly larger bit of foam but if used on a mini swivel you can almost compress it so you can hardly see it.
Only need a small amount of putty then or small sinker of some sort.
Used on both hinge stiff and Ronnie to good affect without issue doing the above.
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In reply to Post #1687
Sorry to interrupt the thread away from them incredible fish Mark but would you mind if i asked regarding size and buoyancy please. Will the 13mm hold up a size 4 on a spinner rig as theres a lot of metal work involved in that rig but i like the small bait big hook mechanics of it , secondly are the 16mm super buoyant as i find myself using the soft hinge quite often but dislike having large amounts of putty where possible, I'm guessing the crushed corks could be trimmed of course but i would want as much of the cure present as possible. Thank you
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Manchester Graham, new pb 43lb12oz (Cashew) from Frimley. White S2. Well done Graham.
For the first time in a good while, barring just a few very recent orders… We are completely up to date with everything, up until right now. Not sure how long that will last, we still have a two week waiting time on the front of the website. But it’s a good feeling today. 🥳
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In reply to Post #1683
To be honest, I would not waste them surface fishing, or on zigs personally. But everyone is different. I very rarely fish on the surface. When I do it is always right now at this time of year. Always at night, when you get those still muggy flat calm nights in the summer. I use the rubber imitation mixers anchored on the surface on 15lb slightly over depth zigs. Lead clips with no tail rubber. Rods on alarms with bow tight lines. Just keep putting out the mixers all night. You will catch 3 at night to every 1 you get during the day. Try it one night, it’s great fun. Get a couple of massive sacks of cheap mixers. Trips up the wary ones too. They go crazy for them at night.
I never fish zigs in the Spring, not ever. When everyone else always needs to fish zigs at that time of year, I was always clumping them on the bottom on S2. If your hook bait is good enough it will drag them down, even when they are sitting up in the surface layers. If your hook baits are crap, that’s when you need to use zigs in the spring
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Forum member Gary, brace of Wingham 40+. The mirror hardly ever gets caught. GPB1 over HydraK & particle. Well done Gary 💪🏻
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Me and a mate of mine have done really good on them on the top. Had a huge hit of fish off the surface on linear with them last year. Seems to good to waste them surface fishing but I’m more then happy too to get me a few more fish
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In reply to Post #1682
TC, have you heard of many people using them surface fishing? I'm on a water where I've done fairly well drifting singles across groups of fish on the surface, so I presume the CC's would be ideal for that scenario?
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Andy, first night on a new syndicate. Biggest fish in lake 40+. S2 over Creamino bollies.
Ricci more from Masons, S2/GPB2 combined over Krill boillies.
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In reply to Post #1680
Well done mate 🥳 Now’s the time that the garlics really come into their own.
Today we cleared all orders up until and including last Thursday.
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In reply to Post #1678
First time out using the Garlic 'magic beans' and I had a magic (yet sleepless) overnighter. 3 mirrors out in 4 hours, and numerous Bream all of which were over 8lb, had plenty of pick ups from smaller fish that couldn't get the choddy in their gob. Everything that swims seemed to have a go last night.
All caught on the same two hookbaits out the pot. It seemed the longer they were out there for, the less sleep I got
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Tackle Box Liam, DDAPs Brooklands S2
Forum member Gary, GPB2, Wingham.
Forum member Rich, GPB2 balanced.
Forum member Rich, Wellington Country Park garlics I think.
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Wade, one of his syndicates originals, the long common. White S2 over Cell.
Will, Junction12 42lb8oz. New pb, first UK 40+, hook bait not specified. S2 or GPB2. Well done Will!!
Forum member Ian, Ashmead, GPB2 balanced, new pb common, well done Ian!
Forum member Paul, GPB2 over pimped ABS Rock Lobster
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In reply to Post #1676
I echo that. Would love to read it.
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In reply to Post #1675
Enjoy your holiday, Mark. And do keep planning that book! Your various writings here deserve that…..
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In reply to Post #1674
I am honestly sorry I got touchy. I have to be that way about all that kind of stuff in public now. I can’t be arsed with it anymore mate. It just grinds me down. I have dealt with nothing else since I first said I was going to write about it for MrF a week ago (not you). I am on holiday and still dealing with carp fishing, because I wrote some thing for charity. One day maybe I’ll talk about it all, maybe one day I will not. But that’s my choice. It certainly would never happen on a thing for charity, which is the only reason that it was even written. Chances are otherwise, it never even would have been.
I should not have mentioned Ringwood either, I am sorry. That stuff is a decade old now this year. It’s actually ten years today since I caught the Linear & orange scale Roland I’m quite certain. Two best anglers in your area IMO used my garlic hook baits, Beadle one, can’t name the other because he is connected to someone else and loyal. I respect that too. Respect him because he’s honest . I hear Beadle makes an amazing boillie. You should get on it if you can.
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In reply to Post #1673
No probs mate, have a fab hols !
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In reply to Post #1672
No Roland, I did not misunderstand at all. I knew in a roundabout way what you were saying in your cryptic message. Kind of. But EVERYONE else does not Roland. Just something about fish moved in your original message. That means that I have to then make it clear, because I was the last person to catch the fully.
I might have misinterpreted your intentions, for which I apologise. I fell out with Alan when I did not get a ticket, we did not speak for a few years. That was all ex Yateley boy stuff…. We made things good again recently.
Yes it is for Paul Forward. If I wanted to talk about other stuff, I would have. So please do not come and think that you have the right to start talking about it. Because you do not not Roland. You know better than anyone what carp anglers are like when someone starts catching, what everyone else thinks is to much from a lake, straight away. When they have sat there for years catching sweet f all. Does things to people.
I cannot fish UK syndicates anymore because of that. I make my living from carp fishing. So hurting carp fishing is not in my best interests. But the gossip and whining, not for me anymore thanks all the same.
It’s closer to 30k last time I looked. They have done an incredible thing. So please just stop. I’m on holiday too. Not interested in carp fishing today or having to respond to people talking about stuff they heard. Please do not take that the wrong way mate. xx
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In reply to Post #1671
Hi Mark,
I wasn't referring to you at all about Nursery mate, It was merely a comment around what is going on there now, many years after you stopped fishing there, which I kinda understand due to the otters around Sonning/Nursery/Long. So there was no insinuation, you've misinterpreted what I wrote. I'm sure you fished there in its prime and those old fish have either mainly perished or flooded back into Sonning (probably a combination of the two), but like you, I suspect the monster is long gone. That fully you and Alan caught was an outstanding fish.
And yes, It's about Paul, over 20k raised I gather, which is fabulous.
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In reply to Post #1670
Roland, what has happened at the Nursery since I fished there, is zero to do with me. When I fished it and caught that fish, I was poaching it. I have no clue what you are talking about, and to be honest, I do not care. I was not given a ticket. You think I was happy?
As for Theale Lagoon. This was written for charity. I spoke about fishing and zero else. Same as the Nursery piece, when I spoke about Burghfield it was ONLY about fishing.
When carp anglers start, “I know, I know”. It always makes me sad. You don’t know Roland. You know about Eastenders gossip. That’s all. The only people who know, are the people who were there.
This is for Paul Forward. So please do not do that Roland. It’s a little bit cringey. You’re Ringwood through and through, and likely far more interested that I mentioned Spinnaker. That also has a large bearing on Alan via Roach Pit because he purchased you lots lake. I’m not interested in all that rubbish no more Roland.
I have pretty much stopped carp fishing now. That’s the only reason I have been writing about my fishing.
Here’s two Nursery returners of both 40’s. As they are going back…. I was the last person to catch the fully. So don’t come here with your cryptic insinuations please.
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In reply to Post #1669
As mentioned, prob with Otters on Nursery...and that fact that anything that now is caught in there, "may" ( ) be rehoused.
I've heard some stories about certain events at the Lagoon last year from a long standing member on there, but I'm sure there are two (or more!) sides to every story. I gather it all got a bit spicy at times.
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And also, any of you who have read that Theale & Nursery thing. Theale lagoon is likely the most sort after ticket in the land, numerous people offering many, many 1000’s for a £300 ticket. The Nursery was likely one of the best kept secret lakes in the country before it went syndicate.
I’m on holiday too. I got roasted by my missus when I wrote both. You’re reading them for free.
I know how much you all spend on pop ups remember. There are some loaded mofos on this forum. There’s also tonnes of anglers looking in as guests. More than any of you can imagine in fact. If you don’t all go and donate for MND & Paul Forward on that link…. I will personally find every single one of your wives and girlfriends and then tell them how much you REALLY spend on pop ups and fishing kit. Not what you lie to her, the truth. 😂
It will be far less aggravation for you to just go donate a few quid if you can afford too. Remember, I know what you spend on hook baits. I already know that most of you can afford it. 😂
We still have a two week waiting time on the front of the website. But yesterday all orders were cleared up until the 22nd. Anyone looking in as a guest waiting for orders up till then they should be there today.
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In reply to Post #1666
Thank you. It was so much more hard work than I could describe in something that was being written to go on social media for charity. It could only be a certain size/length what I wrote.
I know people fish in France at extreme range. But that is not on a UK gravel pit choked with weed. One where you might have thirty minutes using the boat most days, just before dark to get the rods sorted. The sailing club had a bar, they stay to past 9pm most evenings. Ovbs fish had to be landed from boat. Leads could not be. They all had to be reeled in from 550m.
It would take me 30 minutes to reel in each rod. I needed a break after each rod. Sometimes the lead would pick up a weedbed on it the size of a small car. It could take me virtually an hour to get one rod back in that scenario. One hour to reel a weedberg in from nearly half a mile out. I can still remember one time having to reel four rods in quickly because I had to go for a small emergency. I could barely feel my arms for two days. They still hurt the following week when I returned.
That’s just from reeling in. Reeling in itself, became an anticipated nightmare for my arms well in advance on every session. Sometimes the weedbergs were so big I had to straight rod it slowly. Like easing a snag in, but from half a mile out 😂
I had to have my front suspension replaced on my Mercedes estate fishing car. The pit destroyed the front suspension in five minutes flat. My friend wrecked his van too. There’s no wood chipped swims or manicured tracks.
So much more than I could ever describe, than in that thing written below that could only be a certain length.
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In reply to Post #1665
Thank you for donating, and for the kind words.
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What a story of graft graft and more graft , well earnt fish amid the gut wrenching feeling of losing huge fish , read it twice mate as it inspires me in in my modest attempt to catch a huge barbel from a stretch of river that has otters, weed , canoes and not knowing where the fish are at any time , loved it mate !
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In reply to Post #1664
What a fabulous read that is. Thanks for posting it mark. Inspiring.
Ive chipped in a few ££.
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In reply to Post #1662
Theale Lagoon 2021.
The story actually starts a few years previous. I had kept close tabs on the pit for many years. I knew the man that ran the syndicate from the old RMC forum, back in the early days of the internet. I first acquired a ticket for the pit in 2018. I had a few sessions, and caught the first fish of the year from the sailing club swim. Only a small common, but it was nice to catch one from such a monstrous pit on one of my first trips. Unfortunately I did not get back near the swim again all spring. Work was becoming more of a monster, and I had met a beautiful Brazilian woman in London. That led to me spending the next year or two, flying backwards and forwards to Brazil during any spare time which I had, after she had returned home. We were actually due to get married during the start of Covid, but travel restrictions and the world shut down soon put paid to that. I had already purchased a beautiful apartment in northern Brazil, inside a gated community, and fallen in love with the country. I'd never been any further than Spain before we met, not for many years either! Suddenly I was flying transatlantic far to much. 2020 was the year of Covid. We were all forced to stay at home. I knew I had a ticket for the pit again, starting at Xmas. I was praying that Covid would not ruin that! The world was in lockdown, but I was allowed to travel to Brazil in January 2021, because my missus was Brazilian. I returned late January, with every intention, of giving Theale Lagoon my full attention whenever I could around work.
Theale lagoon, is somewhere around 270 acres. It has a thirty man syndicate on it. It used to be run by both RDAA and Ameys at certain points in the past, when it was more famed for monster pike and massive match fishing weights. Those days are long gone. Previous to the M4 being built, it was actually somewhere around 400 acres in total size. The M4 cut that down to around 270 acres. When I rejoined in 2021, it held a known stock, of somewhere around thirty, to thirty five carp. The pit is situated in Theale, on the outskirts of Reading. The carp in the pit had been stacking on the weight really fast. The biggest mirror, known as 'the machine' had now gone above 55lb. There was likely another four fish at least over 50lb. Including a common that had also just been caught at 55lb. Another big fish also that had not been caught for a couple of years, which could be as big as those two, or bigger. The fish were putting on 4/5lb in between every capture now. And it would still throw up the odd unknown 40+! It was clear that the pit was changing, from somewhere where it had been previously very easy to obtain a ticket, into somewhere that very soon would have a long waiting list that absolutely 'everyone' wanted to jump on. A waiting list which would soon become closed it grew so fast. It was clear for all to see, that the pit would end up doing something really special in terms of size of carp. A small stock of carp, in an incredibly rich environment. It was always going to happen. Why more places can not grasp this and stock less carp, I personally do not understand. The numbers of fish in our syndicates, is vastly on the rise in the UK. To a point where a lot of places you see in the media, the lakes are so black with big carp, you could literally walk across the lakes on their backs. Theale lagoon is one mile long approximately. You have zero chance of even seeing a person on the far bank without binoculars. If you are at the opposite end of the pit, looking down it towards the M4, you can barely see the juggernauts hurtling along, as they are that small in the distance. Add to that, a stock of only around thirty, to thirty five carp, you can see that the place could be termed as a 'challenge'.
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In reply to Post #1661
The sheer size of the pit, and the harsh conditions which that can bring with it are quite scary sometimes. Things can change fast as well. You need to make sure everything is well pegged down when the wind blows! I started back fishing, as soon as we were allowed out. That was in March. It was absolutely bitter that year, and freezing cold. The area where I had caught the small common, was a very popular area in the spring. I decided to leave this area alone. I wanted some space, and to explore the pit a bit more. Whilst everyone wanted to fish around the known area that the fish liked to visit in the spring.... It was the perfect opportunity to investigate some other areas that I had no knowledge of. I needed to build up a picture in my head of the pit. I had acquired an old depth map (shown in attached photos) that the sailing club who share the pit had produced many years previously. Between this and google earth, it was easier to build up a picture faster, while not even on the pit but at home. I started fishing an area on the opposite side of the sailing club, in a large shallow bay. The bay itself, must have been ten acres easily. It was very shallow all over, so in my mind, any warmth in the spring sun would also warm this area quickly too, and the carp would show up. It did not work. I blanked. I never saw a carp. I did catch a couple of bream at long range though. Fishing some 250m out to the entrance to the bay, next to the Burghfield sailing club itself, where they put the boats in and out. I caught these bream on long running chods, over low lying weed. I had watched some small signs of fish early one morning at long range. These turned out to be bream, but it was nice just to get a couple of bites which made the heart race a little. I was flitting around, trying to fish as many different swims as possible. Quite a few of the members had their own swims they already favored and liked to bait. The more mobile anglers, were mainly concentrating their efforts around the islands area, which had done a number of fish over the previous few springs. This was by far the most popular area on the pit. April and then May rolled in, still nothing had been caught. We were all told the pit had not done a carp for eighteen months or so, since before Covid... Although as it turned out later, one or two had been caught apparently but kept quiet. Now May was here, the weed had really started to sprout. I'd had a couple of trips on the motorway bank, in a swim around the very middle of the motorway bank itself. I had started putting a bit of bait in here, very close in. There was a lovely deep drop off. This was by far the deepest area on the pit along this margin. Created when the M4 was built as mentioned earlier, it was a very interesting margin. Large lumps of concrete and huge boulders lined the margins, the original base they put down before the motorway was built. House bricks, all sorts along the margins. The motorway was a nightmare.
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In reply to Post #1660
Just fifty feet behind you, it would really take some getting used too. The noise was on another level. It's hard to even describe it. I ended up purchasing a very loud digital radio from Amazon, which I had running at full volume the whole time at rush hours. The swim I was in, the motorway was at it's closet point, so it seemed to get totally left alone. There was a lovely man who worked for the Angling Trust called Dean, who was fishing down in the far corner of the motorway bank. Dean was good friends with some one I knew well Adam. Anyway Dean had fished the pit for a number of years, and he was sound as a pound. An all round angler, not just carp. He'd caught some nice perch from the pit too. I'd just been catching some big barbel and pike from the Thames. We got on really well. Dean only really needed to catch the machine. He had already caught the big common named the football, due to it being as wide as it was long. He had also caught some other big fish from the pit. He was plugging away in the far corner of the motorway bank, whilst the rest of the members were up the other end around the islands as previously mentioned. I would be joining them again as well, my margin spot was producing nothing but tench. I started fishing in the large bay next to the sailing club again, a mile away at the opposite end of the pit. The weed had really sprouted now in this shallow water, and it just looked so right now. Now it was time to start applying some bait. I found a lovely small fine strip of gravel at around thirty yards. Perfect. It had fresh weed all around it, and when viewed from the boat it looked right. I started piling in the fermented garlic hemp. Two fifteen kilo buckets at a time. This was laced with a garlic oil which we make and goes into our garlic hook baits, with a good dose of salts. The reaction was immeadiate. The spot had only had five or six bait ups before the carp arrived. Smaller ones to start with. The weather was warmer, and the bay was starting to attract more attention too from other anglers. The bay is so shallow, it was so easy to spook them, I found this out almost immeadiatly. At 5am every morning, you would see paddle boarders emerge from the sailing club. This was often the kiss of death. The carp seemed to like to arrive at around the same time, but the moment the paddle boarders emerged, they would all disappear. They did not mind the boats so much, but they definitely did not like a human standing up on the skyline on a paddle board. Numerous mornings it looked like I was going to be in with a shout, and then the paddle boarders would emerge. They had every right too as well. But this just made things even harder. The carp started to smash the spot to bits, it was becoming very visible. I was working, but filling it in between weekly trips. One morning, I had the entire stock of the lake in front of me, the paddle boarders did not arrive. I was certain this was it. Over the space of the morning, the heads appearing over the spot got larger, and larger. The big fish started to bully the others off of the spot. They were claiming it as their own. Then two anglers arrived, doubled up in a swim along the bank and went out for a look in boats. Every fish in the shallow bay disappeared. I packed up and left. Cursing my luck, the pit was starting to hurt. I could see chances, but between carp anglers, and paddle boarders, it was so much hard work. I returned the following week, raring to get back in the same spot. The other anglers had clearly seen lots of fish too though, as they returned that day. Three fishing in a shallow bay, to much for me. I packed up and left again, and a decision was made that I needed to leave this area now. Despite the hard work, despite knowing that all the fish were visiting the spot, I had to walk away from it. Dean was down in the far corner that night. We spoke on the phone, I told him I was coming back down to the center swim on the motorway bank. But this time I was going long. REALLY long. I needed to get away from the carnage. The pit is a very public place, and during warm weather every swim is filled with sunbather/kids/swimmers. Between them, the paddle boarders who go round the edge, and eager carp anglers, I needed to do something different. I have used a boat my whole life, Virtually every venue I have ever fished, bar just a few, for forty years I have been able to use a boat. Even as a small kid at Johnsons. I'm good in a boat. I started looking for an area at extreme range. The center swim on the motorway bank I had previously baited in the margins, this gave access to the center of the lake, with no bouys in the way at all. There are not to many places on the pit where you can easily access extreme range because of the sailing clubs bouys. The center swim on the motorway bank was one though. And apart from me, no one had fished it that whole year. That night I found a large gravel area at approximately 500m or so in front of the center swim on google earth. I packed everything up that evening, ready to move first thing in the morning.
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In reply to Post #1659
At first light I was up and packing away. I moved my kit down to the center swim on the motorway bank. I knew I did not have enough braid on my original Shimano long cast big bait runners right now.... But I also knew, from many years previously at Spinnaker in Ringwood, that I could get an entire 600m spool of .33 Gardner sinking braid onto the spools. I fished at extreme range on Spinnaker, across to the sailing club on that pit. I knew my reels were capable. But most importantly, I knew that I had the skills to fish at that range, and land them from the boat, which is essential. But this trip now was just camping, chuck some rods in the edge. The goal was find a spot at extreme range, which I could bait. No one else on the pit had any chance of fishing my spot, even if they wanted too at that time. So it was perfect, it was the way forwards. As I was setting up the bivvy, under the drones of the busy M4, I had a phone call from Adam. Dean had just landed the machine down in the corner, could I pop down and take some photographs for him, but keep it quiet! Of course I bloody could! Yessssssssssss Dean!!! I sorted my camera kit out, and ran down to the corner, which was a good 500m or more away. When I got there, me and another angler helped Dean to sort the machine out. It was absolutely ginormous. A decision was made that my scales were needed too, so I ran back down to the swim, and back again. I thought I was going to die. I cannot remember the exact weight, but it was 61lb+. It was monsterous. Absolutely monstrous. Poor Dean struggled to hoist him up, his bulk was a sight to behold. It was the best moments I had on the pit, it topped my own later captures. It was a happy morning, Dean had done it. Unfortunately, as it was the first carp out in a long while, and the biggest in the lake, it brought the whole syndicate straight down to the motorway bank. Two anglers were having a disscusion about who would follow Dean, before his rods were even reeled in. I felt for him. But nothing could take away from the joy of that morning, nothing at all. It's what carp fishing is all about. A UK 60+, from an inland ocean with barely any carp in. Get up there Dean!
Boats can only ever be used when the sailing club boats are not on the water, or the sailing club are even at their headquarters. I sat that afternoon, just waiting for them to leave so I could go find my spot. I had small paddles at this point, which I much prefer for 99% of boat work. But this was different. 500+ meters on a knarly big pit. The first time I paddled out there for a look, it felt like my arms would fall off. An engine was a big neccesity for landing the carp from the boat. I would need to be out to that 500m+ in rapid time with a hooked carp on. I found my spot, and it was absolutely epic. Surrounded by heavy weed, it was just big enough to nicely fit three rods on. The spot was likely six foot deep, surrounded by depths of ten foot. The weed came up to a height of around five foot at this time. I lined myself up with four sky markers, so I could easily find the spot again next time. I put 30kg of fermented garlic hemp on the spot that first day. I returned the following week with a new snazzy boat, a great big 110ah lesuire battery, and spools filled with 600m of sinking braid on each rod. Onto the end of that, I then had 50m of 20lb green Big game mono. Everything would be landed from the boat.
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In reply to Post #1658
The weed was exactly the same color as the green Big Game. I needed the heavy mono, to absolutely make sure that the last 50m sunk right down into the weed. Big Game is tow rope. Theale lagoon is home to the Burghfield sailing club. Racing boats, power boats, all sorts of massive boats are always out on the water. To fish at what turned out to be nigh on 550m, I had to keep my lline right down in the water. Tips were on the bottom in the margins in five foot. Screwed down as tight as you could imagine with Solar titanium spring bow indicators. Three rods, all three with a 13mm balanced GPB1 hookbaits. These were fished over lashings and lashings of fermented garlic hemp. Up till that point, I had been using 12t rods on the pit. These were now gone. 10ft Tacklebox CFX 3.25lb rods were now the weapons of choice. Perfect for boat work being shorter. I already knew that the carp adored the fermented garlic hemp, it was just a case of now keeping this spot topped up to the maximum with it. No one had ever fished the spot before, it was mine and I knew it. A good feeling. I already knew what was coming if I'm honest, a serine calmness came over me. I blanked the next couple of trips, but with a big cheesy grin, because I knew what was coming. On my fourth trip, as I went out to place my rods, the machine swam past the boat. To see that carp in water was incredible. He was agitated too. He went and sat in the weed around four rod lengths away, but watching me the whole time. He's the king of the pond, and he was guarding 'his' spot. I knew he was dominating that spot. It had been smashed, it was now nearly half the size again. The surrounding weed was trashed, broken stems, weed all laying the wrong way. You could see big carp had been feeding hard and excited. But now there was only one, the king was guarding the spot. He certainly did not like me being there for sure, he was certainly not afraid of the boat either. All three rods were placed, all three lines fanned as they were laid. A very important part of fishing three rods, on one spot, at such extreme range. Those lines must be laid correctly on the return. I was so excited, I had to do everything right. It was all completed perfectly. On my last drop, there was now another mirror lurking too, slightly further away from the spot, but clearly there for the larder. This fish was well over 50lb, a sparsley scaled mirror, I was certain I knew which one. GAME ON. That night was the most exciting of my fishing life. I could barely sleep. At 5am I was awoken to an absolute one toner, a one toner that just kept going and going and going. As I scrambled into my waders and slipped my life jacket on whilst holding the rod in my left hand. I was straight in the boat and out to the spot in an instant on full throttle. Reeling like crazy to take up the slack, whilst keeping a bend in the rod like a lunatic. All steering of the boat is done with the rod. I was close to the island, this fish had gone on an incredible first run. I got somewhere close to above it, and immeaditly felt the grate. My mono was caught around something, but the fish just boiled up over there, and it's a monster. Panic stations. I was still in contact with the fish, but my line was caught around something. In this situation from the boat it's hard work getting the purchase you need. I felt the fish go crazy one last time and all went slack. I reeled up a snapped rig. 30lb flouro which is tow rope, had been broken like cotton. I was using short combi links, with a 30lb boom. The 30lb boom had snapped. A 60lb carp on a short line has a lot of power. Especially a big male. I went back to the bank, praying I had not just lost the machine. Hoping it was the 50+. Imagine that. Quite a crazy thought. Hoping you had just lost a mid 50, because the other one, was actually much bigger. It was catastrophic, but onwards we must go. There are fish now on it. Forget that, it's called fishing, not catching. Losing big fish is all part of the game that has to be dealt with. Especially somewhere like that. They were there though, and I needed to capitalse fully. All rods in, out comes the green 25lb Big Game mono, off come the combi rigs, on go 30lb coated braid multi rigs. Tiny little short ones with big size 4 beaked point hook. I went back out to the spot, to re drop, it was a scene of devastation, a crime scene. They had dug down into the gravel so far. They had turned the small spot, into a runway landing strip. I placed the rods, fanned the lines, and put a load more garlic hemp on the spot. Nothing happened on my last night. Losing a fish is always much worse than catching one, it always ruins the swim normally. I told no one whatsoever what had happened. No one. I put 30kg on the spot when I left, and went home gagging to get back. I knew I was about to catch. I just had to make sure nothing went wrong this time.
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In reply to Post #1657
Clearly work was hard that week. I got back down the lake on Sunday evening, and all three rods were put out on the spot. It was the first of July now, summer was in full flow. The motorway bank had calmed down since Deans capture of the machine, no one had fished there apart from me for a month or so. But the sunbathers and swimmers were a nightmare. Covid and lockdowns, had meant the whole world wanted to be outside, in the fresh air, and they did just that. Theale is so public, at times it can become a touch wearing. But these are the things you have to put up with for the prizes. It was clear when I placed the rods that the spot was smashed again. Large holes. I had a new toy this week, an Atropa green marker. My plan was, to place this at the back of my spot, set three foot under the surface. I wanted to leave it there. But it had to be deep enough that the propeller of a speed boat would not smash it to bits. I wrapped the tip in reflective 3m tape, so I could find the marker easily in the dark. An atropa marker swivels at the bottom and will lay over if a carp goes around it. I used half a house brick as the anchor. It took some messing around placing it in the deeper water off the back of the spot in the weed, to hide it from curious boaters in the crystal clear water. But I managed it superbly. Now when the nights started to draw in, I could find my marker in the dark. Important when I needed to wait for the sailing club to leave everyday, before placing my rods. That night I was so full of anticipation. I knew what was coming, just be ready Mark. I watched through my binoculars the following morning, and saw the lakes big common clear the water twice over my spot. It was clearly a common, so golden, but it was massive. One of my rods simply went into meltdown as I watched through the bins. Everything went as smooth as silk. Waders, life jacket, into the boat, out to the spot. As I got above the fish, it towed me around for a while, but I had this smug grin on my face hahahaha you're mine..... Then the hook pulled.
You would not wanted to have been anywhere near me, trust me. I went back into the bank, launched the rod into the bushes, and sat down and sulked. It was like the world had just ended. I might have just lost a 61lb mirror and a mid 50 common. It could not get any worse. I pulled myself back together, and had a rethink. At that range, with the weed and the nature of the pit, the micro barbed Gardner talon tip hooks I was using, the barb was to small. The older versions which I preferred to use on the river Thames, they were coming out. These have a much larger beefier barb which does hinder penetration, but using 6oz leads and spring bow indicators at extreme range, hook pentertration was the last of my worries, I just needed them not to fall out! This was extreme fishing, and it called for extreme tackle. The following morning at 5am I had another one toner. I jumped into the boat, it all went like clockwork. Out there like a shot on speed number 5, she towed me around for a while in the middle of the pond, but ultimately I landed the football common. It was clear which fish it was, it was a foot and a half across the back! Well I had not lost that the day before to the hook pull it seems. I rolled her up in the net, placed her along side the boat facing the right way, and gently made my way back to the bank. Her bulk was truly incredible on the mat. My Le Graviers unhooking mat has one foot sides on it. Laid on her side she absolutely towered above these. She was clearly spawned out, and still weighed 55lb6oz. She must have been close to, if not over 60lb before spawning. I popped her in a sack while I got myself together and it got properly light. I spoke to a couple of friends on the phone, who were all sworn to secrecy. I would not even get anyone down to do photos, she was a new personal best by one pound, but it would be self takes for you my girl. I set up a video camera to record a little film, and took what turned out to be pretty rubbish photos of her. I did not care, there was more to be caught for sure. This time when I replaced the rod, there was big storm brewing. I only had one hour of light to sort my rod after the sailing club left, but wanted it back on the spot. White capped waves were rolling in, and the sky had a look of doom. As I got about a quarter of the way out, I noticed a tiny little frog, who had clearly struggled into my boat to avoid the white capped waves and certain death. As the waves lapped over the front of my boat, getting more and more violent the further out I got, I looked down at my new friend Freddy the frog, and made a pact with him. I'll keep you safe Freddy, please, please keep me safe. I was at a point where it was "shall I go back, or kick on, come on Freddy, lets go for it".
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In reply to Post #1656
I bailed water out of the boat with one hand, while grasping onto the tiler with the other. Once I got out there behind the cover of a big island, I had a bit more shelter from the wind. It was still a nightmare placing the rod. I made a pact with Freddy, to never, ever be so stupid, not ever again. And also to get my self inflate lifejacket checked soon. I am good in a boat, I am a great swimmer too, but that became a touch to much for the sake of a carp. Me and Freddy made it back safe, and I made sure he was okay. He was absolutely mullered by that storm.
The following morning I was away again on the replaced rod, this was getting crazy now, four bites in a week was more than I could have ever wished for in my wildest dreams.... But it was happening, so I better wake up fast. This fish really gave me the run around, everything went smoothly, I was out there like a shot. But this carp was on steroids. It towed my boat around for ages, I thought it was never going to give up! But the bigger barbed hooks held firm, and a whole monsterous ball of weed and carp was eventually bundled into the net. Back on the bank, this fish was far better in my eyes than the common. Much smaller at 40 something, but so much more beautiful. I once again done some self takes, a little video, and slipped her back. No one at all was any the wiser.
I fished hard over the next three weeks. But all three trips were null and void. Bait was remaining on the spot too, far more worryingly. All of it. They had done the off for now. Hardly surprising, if there are thirty carp in there now, I had just hooked nearly 15% of them in the last week. That is going to have a big effect on them. It was time to let everyone else know. I was given permission to put them online. I knew what would happen slightly, and it did. 240 kilos was put into the swim next door the weekend the fish appeared online. To claim the swim as such. The weed had now grown up to a point, I was picked up a couple of times by the sailing boats on race night. It was becoming hard to keep my rods in the water. Fishing at extreme range really can take it out of you. I was waiting all day to place my rods just on dark, then often having two of them moved, by boat, or weed bergs, by 10am. Then waiting all day again to repeat the procedure. Tigers started to float in on the wind that were popping up from somewhere on the lake, rotting and stinking. I left the pit, went back to Brazil on a long holiday and had an amazing winter that year. And have never been back ever since. I no longer have a ticket for the pit. My actual fishing time there, was actually incredibly short. Spread over two separate years in 2018 and 2021. I am certain I lost the machine, that very first bite. When the king of the pond decides that the spot is his, like he had done that day. It was very likely to have been him. I never saw him out there again either. Despite many days spent all day watching through binoculars. He would not have let another carp near that spot, maybe one or two others in his little clique, but I would doubt that. I would imagine I lost him that very first bite after seeing him guard the spot. And likely lost the mid 50 I saw as well as the second bite. You can never win them all. I landed three fish from Theale lagoon in pretty quick time, I was very happy with that.
That was written in memory of Paul Forward. Paul had messaged me to say well done after those fish were made public. If you could see your way to making a small donation on the just giving link below, it would be so very much appreciated. Anything you can afford, big or small. MND is a horrible disease, the more money that can be raised, the better. Thank you.
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| | | Cam | | Posts: 6371 |  | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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Thank you all, glad you enjoyed it. I have a week off this week and a little time I don’t normally get.
This weekend, there is a charity event in memory of Paul Forward. It’s raising money for motor neurone disease which Paul suffered from. I’m on holiday but would like to do something to help them raise more money. They have already raised over £17k, an incredible amount and Oz Holness should be proud.
If you enjoyed that about the Nursery, go and make a small donation please. Anything. 50p, £5, whatever you can afford.
I will write something this week if you do, about my short time fishing on Theale Lagoon. I will post it on Facebook & on here for free. Just like the Nursery post below. All you need to do is click on the link below and make a very small donation. I did not know Paul really well, but I met him many years ago when I was fishing the Ocean in Kent. He came down to see Simon Bater who was fishing the Road & Island next door. Paul was fishing for the Swirly common at the time, which I had caught previously. So we had a common interest in Milton Pan and got on well. Paul was a builder, he went fishing because he loved it, not to be famous or get get some free boilie stops. He fished a lot of the same Kent pits that I have during my lifetime, just never at the same time.
Paul messaged me to say well done when I caught the big common from Theale. It’s no publicity now, so you are not likely to hear much about it. If you all make a small donation if you are able too, I will write an in depth piece about my short time fishing on the 270+ acre pit in 2020 this week.
I can’t do links, if someone could make that a link it would be appreciated.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/mr-fs-linear-fishery-social-weekend?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
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Read it on Faceache, great read! 👏
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In reply to Post #1650
Absolutely brilliant
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In reply to Post #1650
Thoroughly enjoyed that a great read and that fully......oh my days! thanks Mark
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I had a bit of time off, and I wrote that in two hours at 3am when I could not sleep after a long flight. It’s not been proof read, there’s likely a few mistakes. But it is free. It details some fishing, on what was, one of the best kept secret lakes in the UK.
If someone with the power could put it into a more readable format that would be amazing. It was hard work copying and pasting that into a few different posts. If I try to stack it now I’ll mess it up. I’m useless 😂
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In reply to Post #1648
A small syndicate was formed on the Nursery whilst I was away, and after catching the fully, I was not given a ticket. I was gutted. The fully was never banked again. The single scaled long Thames fish which I saw was never caught again. I hope and pray that both are still there, and the blow up doll. And all of the other very special (and ugly) carp which the lake contained in 2017. But, some very good anglers have fished the lake ever since my time on the pit, and neither the fully or the monster have been seen since. Otters moved onto the pit sometime around 2018. In all likelihood, they have taken them both, and most of the others. I barely get to fish these days, work has become an all encompassing monster. I often look back on 2017 with great joy. When I do get to very rarely go carp fishing these days, it can only be on pits similar to the Nursery. No bitching, no dramas, real fishing, for very few carp. These kind of places are the essence of carp fishing to me personally. Long may there remain just a few places in the UK, like the Nursery that I knew in 2017. 🇬🇧
Blow up doll
The Nursery swim
Evening bait up
11lb6oz male tinca
The Nursery is light blue pit marked with black x
Burghfield 42lb+
Burghfield 42lb+
Burghfield 40lb+
Sam 32lb8oz
26lb+
18lb+
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In reply to Post #1647
Over the next week the pits bream moved onto my area. They stripped quite a bit of weed for me, but ultimately they became a real pain in the backside. I was doing over night trips after work, and being kept up all night by monstrous slabs. I would not be at all surprised if the Nursery also contained a British record bream. I stopped fishing, but carried on baiting. I knew that I would be able to visibly see when the carp eventually got onto the spot. And they very soon did. I arrived one evening for a bait up, the moment I got above the bar I could see everything was different! It had been absolutely smashed to bits. Every strip of weed was now gone. Large glowing areas clearly dug right out by carp. As I scanned the bar gleefully knowing my work was about to pay off, a 40lb+ mirror glided under the boat. This fish was probably the most ugly carp I had ever seen in my life. Although the pit contained some very beautiful Thames carp, it also, like the river itself these days contained some absolute munters. Fish that had been washed into the river from Oxfordshire day tickets, which had survived in the river and ultimately found their way into the Nursery via Sonning. Simmos, but horrible simmos in the main. The one which drifted under my boat that day had been christened 'the blow up doll' due to having and very strangely permenant open disfigured and deformed mouth. Clearly a birth defect, or being caught far to many times as a small carp. Whatever the cause, boy she was ugly. But the carp were there, and now it was time to capitalise. Stiff hinge rigs, with pink S2 crushed cork pop ups, with either a fermented tiger, or fermented peanut on top would be the weapons of choice. These would always be fished spread along the bar as single hook baits.
My first night after the carp arrived, I landed a 21lb common. This first fish was added to the following night by the blow up doll at 42lb+. They were clearly now 'on it'. Every time I went out in the boat to place rigs or bait up I could see the bar was being dug right out. They were digging right down into the gravel in various areas. I would very regularly see the blow up doll, she was so greedy she was always on the spot. One day she had another carp with her. I have been lucky enough to catch and also see some very large UK carp in my time. The carp I watched from the boat that day, was far larger than any carp I had ever seen before or since. It had to be in excess of 70lb. It absolutely dwarfed the blow up doll. Easily by 30lb or more. I nearly fell out of the boat. It was the most impressive sight which I had ever seen whilst angling. A carp that would have shook carp fishing to the very core if it was ever banked. I could not stop thinking about what I had seen all week at work. It really blew me away. I mentioned it to my friend Alan who ran Long lake and had fished the Nursery before me. I described the fish to him as having one large scale on its side. Alan showed my a photo of a carp which he had caught from the pit some years previously. It had long been feared dead, or flooded out, because it had only ever been banked from the Nursery just the once at just over 30lb. Well I had just seen it without any doubts, and it was a British record in waiting. Without question the largest carp swimming in the UK, and completely 'unknown'. Things had just become so much more exciting. On a whole another level of exciting! My following trip saw me bank the fish of my dreams. I have caught so many much larger UK carp. But being a lifelong Thames angler, she simply meant everything to me personally. She was literally carved from oak, and she had no silly name. She was completely unknown to the masses. She had been caught some twenty five years previously from the lock-cut on the Thames at Sonning at 18lb. She weighed 40lb8oz when I was lucky enough to catch her. My friend Ben came to help me do some photographs and a little video. As we slipped her back, I never dreamed she would be the last carp that I would ever catch from the pit. It was June 5th, just eleven days later the river Thames would open and I would be chasing my nemesis again. I caught some absolutely breathtaking carp from the river in 2017, stacks of them, but I never caught my nemesis, who would be dead within six months.
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In reply to Post #1646
My first walk around the pit, revealed very clearly that the much older more shallower area closest to Sonning, was the area anyone fishing the lake previously had mainly concentrated their efforts. Once you got behind the maze of impenetrable gorse bushes, a hidden world was revealed. A hidden world of truly lovely swims completely cut off from the outside worlds knowledge. Clearly lovingly prepared by anglers who had poached the lake previously. The last thing I wanted to do was tread on anyone else's toes. So this area was imeadiatly written off. Little did I know, that I would have the pit to myself pretty much for the next six weeks. I could have fished where I wanted, but I did not want to fish near anyone else, so I went to the opposite side of the lake to where it was obvious anyone fishing was going. At the end of the main path on the opposite side, there was a fence, with access to the back of the Nursery center. It was here that I chose to start fishing up next to this fence. It had a large plateau to my right, with bars running from the more newly dug half of the pit like roadways. The swim that I chose, was right on the meeting point of old and new Nursery. Basically on the outside corner of the L shape. To my right, was the much deeper, heavily weeded newer part of the lake. The weed was the thickest most horrible you could imagine. Full up with zebra mussel at all depths. Directly opposite me at extreme range, was the shallower, much older part of the pit. I would later find out that the pits very small stock of carp, would spend the vast majority of their day times in this shallower area. All of them. They very rarely visited the deeper, more heavily weeded part of the lake. But when they did at night during darkness, they just had to use the road ways right out in front of me in my mind. I knew the first time I went out in the boat and looked, that this would be the area for me to target. The two bars that came off the side of the plateau to my right, both ran for around ten to fifteen yards and broke up directly in front of me. Both bars were completely covered in thick Canadian pond weed. My first task was to clear this weed. An eight foot bamboo cane was placed at the start of the furthest bar, which also ran slightly longer than the closer bar. The cane was placed, so as I could see it from the bank. The photo with the rod leaning on bivvy was just after a carp. If you zoom in you can see my cane. At the time I was living very close to the Nursery, having moved to Sonning for a year. I was working every single day, but I could visit the lake just before dusk and bait it. And that is what I did. My fishing time was kept to the bare minimum really. But I maximized my preparation time. 30kg of particles at a time. Mainly fermented garlic hemp, but also masses and masses of tiger slime and some of Geoff Bowers nut mix, also soaked in tiger slime. During these initial bait ups, I bumped into a tench angler. He had been poaching the pit for a number of years. We quickly struck up a mutual respect. He left me alone, and I left him alone. During our early conversations, I had asked him if he had caught any decent tincas from the pit. He flat out told me there was no big tench in there, that he had never even caught a double. I started to notice bait being eaten, at first not to much, but it was a start. My first night fishing the spot, I banked an 11lb6oz male tench. This is an absolutely montros male tinca. Just ounces off of the largest male tench ever banked in the UK. I chuckled to myself about tincaman, Fair play to him too, I'd do the exact same. If the pit contained male tench of this size, it likely held a British record female. It was my first glimpse of the potential of the pit. The new ground Lafarge had dug, had created an environment where all the fish in the pit could REALLY flourish on that fresh ground and neglect. Any lake is very rich during the first ten years after it is dug. The Nursery fish had come from the Thames via Sonning, into a rich environment, made substantially richer by Lafarges work to extend the pit previously. It was all like the 'perfect storm'. An environment where fish could really flourish on neglect.
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In reply to Post #1645
2017 was a great year for me fishing wise, I had moved out of London, and was going to take full advantage living close to the river. I had already been chasing the former, and now dead river Thames record over two stretches for a good number of years. Me and my friend Sam had enjoyed some incredible pike fishing on the Thames that winter in 2017, culminating in Sam catching the third largest pike ever banked from the Thames at 32lb8oz. With me also banking numerous large 20's. On the last day of the river season I had got it into my head that I needed to christen some new DV 1.25lb Avon rods my friend Gary Peet had given me from the Tackle Box. So I baited a swim on the river for barbel with spiced meat and garlic hemp. That evening on a very flooded and powerful river, after a stupidly long battle where I was completely under gunned with light 1.25lb Avon rods... I landed what I was told at the time was the third largest barbel ever caught from the river Thames, on my first ever Thames trip specifically targeting them. During the start of the closed season of 2017, I had my one and only session on Burghfield, which resulted in three 40+ and two 30+ mirrors in five nights. I had located the carp long before my ticket had started on April 1st at long range, and had put something rather special 'out there' to keep them in the area. It really worked too. I caught a big carp everyday. Not bad for my first and only ever trip. I watched the BBC clear the water three times at long range on my last morning, which will remain with me forever. An incredible sight. I had that first and only wonderful session, slightly ruined by a few members, who clearly did not like what was happening. That's carp fishing.... But little did I know, that this was to lead to me catching the fish of my dreams in the very near future. It was also the very first year of a new five day rule on Burghfield, so I had to leave. The BBC was caught from 'out there' three days later by Scott Lloyd, a great capture at over 60lb. Clearly, that was the end of that though for me. The Nursery was calling. I had previously seen photographs of two, very special ex Thames fully scaled. Both of which had previously been caught by friends from the Nursery pit. These fish interested me massively. Unfortunately, one of them had since blown up spawnbound and died. But I knew that there was another, also that she was one of the most beautiful carp that I had ever laid eyes on. Being a lifelong Thames angler, she was the ultimate prize for me. But I knew of some other very special ex Thames carp in there as well, and I simply could not wait to fish the pit. I knew I could have access for parking, I knew the pit would fit in well with me needing to work constantly. I would just need to keep myself well hidden away from any birdwatchers that would regularly walk the lake, and the out of bounds on the back of RDAA Sonning. I would also need to make my hard earned time fishing really count. I would always wear 'normal' non fishing clothes, and anyone who approached my swim would be cut off long before they got close to seeing any fishing kit. I blagged two bird watchers, and a Lafarge employee during my short time on the pit, none of whom ever saw my rods or my kit. "He who dares Rodney", "he who dares".
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The Nursery pit, Sonning Eye, 2017
The Nursery, is a SSSI, former no fishing venue owned by Lafarge. It lies directly next to Sonning Eye, very close to the river Thames. At one time, half of the Nursery, was actually a part of the montros Sonning Eye gravel pit. The lake itself is an L shape, one original half of the lake being much shallower, than the other much newer and more deeply dug half. The shallower part of the lake, was the bit that was once a part of Sonning itself. A causeway was built across the entrance to a large bay, which formed the original part of the Nursery. For many years, every year during flooding, this causeway would be under water and fish would enter and exit the Nursery at times of flood. In exactly the same way they always have from Sonning itself, which very regularly floods into the river Thames. At a much later date, Lafarge dug out the newer much deeper half of the Nursery. It would be this 'new ground', which would lead some of the fish in the pit to grow to truly incredible sizes. The pit was approximately fifteen acres or so at an uneducated guess. The Nursery gets its name, from the Nursery center which backs onto the lake on the Henley road. At some point, the barren causeway separating the Nursery and Sonning Eye sprouted gorse bushes. As the gorse bushes grew denser, they formed a natural impenetrable barrier, which would eventually stop the fish being able to enter or leave the pit during times of flood. At this point, the pits stock became more permenant. The entire stock of the pit, was made up of former Sonning Eye & river Thames carp. I have never mentioned the name of the pit before, out of respect for the other anglers who fished it. When I fished there in 2017, I, and anyone who fished there before me had to hide in the bushes. It was a strictly no fishing venue which very few knew about in reality. The Nursery pit lies in between Sonning Eye, and CWA Long lake. In 2018, CWA fisheries got the fishing rights for the Nursery pit from Lafarge, and a small five man syndicate was formed on the pit. It's not a secret anymore, so there is no problem naming it now. My fishing on the pit in 2017 was very brief, but ultimately very successful. The very momentous to me personally fully scaled which I went on to catch, has not been banked again ever since unfortunately. Since my time on the pit, otters have had their say. Although no bodies of the specific fish I am about to speak about have ever been found. So never actually confirming 100% that she and the others are gone. It’s looking more and more likely every year that goes past that this is indeed the case and otters had them. The pit contained some absolutely incredible carp, the like of which I have never seen before or since. Monsters, left alone to grow to incredible sizes in a totally unmolested environment. The account below, details my fishing on the pit from Late April 2017, until June 2017 when the river Thames reopened.
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| | | Frenzy | | Posts: 11388 | | | [ MODERATOR ] | |
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In reply to Post #1643
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In reply to Post #1639
Sam, numerous 2023 40+ from The Car Park & Hollybush. All GPB1 cc.
Richie, all white S2 balanced.
Clint S2 cc
Gary GPB2 balanced
Wade S2 cc
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In reply to Post #1639
Works fine for me
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FishOn Ricci, another beautiful Masons 40+. GPB2/S2
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In reply to Post #1639
Sam, Yateley Car Park, 52lb4oz. Part of a brace. One of 4 this week. GPB1.
Well done Sam.
FishOn Ricci, 42lb6oz, Masons, GPB2/S2
FishOn Charlie S2
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In reply to Post #1638
Are there any mods available please
I don’t know if anyone else suffers from this —
Would there be any chance of starting a new thread for this topic please
I use an I pad for reading through all of the forum pages - whole site option
Every time it’s gets to this thread it takes an age to load and move onto the next thread
I know there was a topic a couple of years ago where you started a new thread because of this
Many thanks
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CF Mod Cam, new PB comm & first 30+ comm. First fish from a new lake. Happy days Cam.
GPB2 barrel trimmed, in PVA bag full of DNA bits & pieces.
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In reply to Post #1635
Quote.... Some cracking fish them.
Looks like Aaron has turned into a one man carp catching machine this spring. There is a lot of big UK carp there. Papercourt is certainly no walk in the park as far as I know. I'd imagine that there will be plenty of anglers on that lake, who think he can literally walk on water right now. I am grateful to him that he has shown his new edge.
I love the smiles. When you work five days a week.... It's all about those smiles.
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Two more Papercourt 40+, two more cheesy grins for Aaron from this week's session.
S2 fished over Wraysbury Baits MC Nut.
Not sure of this man's name. Quite certain he is a forum member by what is written though. Well done mate, you will always remember that day 💪🏻. GPB2.
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 | | |
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In reply to Post #1634
Some cracking fish them
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Ricci again. Beautiful common. GPB2 over Sticky Krill
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Aaron done 'rather' well at Papercourt this spring. S2 fished over Wraysbury Baits MC Nut.
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Lee, GPB1 fished over Nutrabaits Trigga.
Andy and friends went on a social lake exclusive to that place in Hampshire with the 60+ fully in. Andy had 10 on S2 & GPB1 fished over Baitworks Creamino. Andy gave his mate who was blanking a couple of Garlic hook baits for the last night and moved him closer. His mate caught nice fish on both of them.
Ricci, Masons, S2/GPB2
Russ, new water, same result. GPB2.
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That's my last post for a good while anywhere online. I have so much to sort out in the near future, and we are so stupidly busy on top of all that. I will still pop in every now and then and blast a few photos up, & I will be back. Just not right now. We have a two week waiting time. Contact regarding any outstanding order is always via text or WhatsApp message only. We simply never see anything else. We will see your message rapidly. The work phone is on silent, and is never answered for calls. If we did, we would never get anything done whatsoever.
Be very lucky all of you.
Alan, Woolpack S2. That top fish is just beautiful.
Ricci, Masons, GPB2/S2
Forum member Tony, Wraysbury North GPB2
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Something that had gone on other social media but I had forgot to post on here. It's only a copy and paste. But it's very relevant info regarding our hook baits.
It's now that time of year, when everything naturals wise in the water has sprung into life, and not just the carp/fish. Our hook baits are all very soluble, and made of 100% premium food and natural cork. Crayfish, mitten crabs... Even just a shoal of roach or naturals sent into an absolute feeding frenzy by the food signals being pumped out by the hook baits, will all have their say on a bad day. Our GPB2 in particular, will send all of these creatures just as wild as they will send the carp. 99.9% of angers will resort to plastic, or even wooden balls in this situation. Here is the big problem with that though. Those crayfish and mitten crabs, their babies will be the main food source for those fish. A heavy fishmeal based feed bait and hook bait is by far your best bet in any such water. By a long, long way too. You just need to know how to keep your hook baits in the water.
Wrap your normal hook baits in shrink wrap. We would highly recommend Korda super wrap for our hook baits. This stuff is amazing, it's one product, that will catch you a lot more carp when facing the situations above. The two fish in the photos, are both Thames carp. The photo of the black common, is a scan of a print. It's from 1997. The area of the Thames where that fish was caught, has always been infested with Chinese mitten crabs since the 80's. The photo of the linear is from 2017, the general area of the Thames where she was caught, is infested with crayfish.
The other two photographs were taken in Brazil. Me and my missus often spend the evening on the pier fishing, watching dolphins and the like while watching the sun go down. The going bait is shrimp. I very quickly worked out, that by keeping the shrimp on the hook for more than two seconds, this was the key to hauling big fish, after big fish. This was not lost on the local fishermen, who were soon all over the 'gringo' like a rash to see why he was outishing them all 10-1... Whilst catching monsters. They found out that 24mm chunks of jumbo shrimp, shrink wrapped in Korda super wrap, then hair rigged was what the gringo was up too. One of the local fisherman Mateus, he fishes to feed his family (often struggling)... I gave him all of my fish, and the two packets of the super wrap which I had left. Showed him how to do it. The next time I was in Brazil, we went fishing as usual... As we walked along the pier, we could see Mateus. He had a bag of big fish next to him, a small crowd, and brand new Nike trainers on. He also had great stories of Amazon deliveries of Korda super wrap to Brazil, and more fish than he could ever feed his family with. Now he sells the surplus.
If we used a wooden ball soaked in shrimp juice... Yes we would beat the small Piranha type fish and catfish, and undoubtedly would have caught a few... But we would have caught a tiny, tiny fraction of what we were hauling utilising the Korda super wrap around a proper bait. If things are really bad, double wrap your hook baits 'both ways', to completely encapsulate the hook bait in shrink wrap. The holes allow the bait to still pump out all of the goodness/signals. Fish these on a simple resetting rig, that cannot be tangled.
Fishing, is fishing, and 'edges', are edges, all over the world.
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In reply to Post #1627
Mega fish that 🔥
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So many big fish were being being caught before the lakes all shut. Again I am really not supposed to be doing this at all. But that one, is a rather special old carp.
Chris, a fish called the Strawberry from the Woolpack. White S2 balanced.
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| | | Boo | | Posts: 8799 | | |
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In reply to Post #1625
Thanks Mark. Had a 16lb common that trip also so was very happy when I came home 😃
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Big fish coming out left right and centre, loads of proper ones. Not meant to be posting anything at all. But that’s forum member Boo and self explanatory. Well done mate.
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In reply to Post #1622
Cool, thanks
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In reply to Post #1621
thanks, just what I wanted..... I will place an order
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In reply to Post #1620
I'm sure Mark will give a definite answer,but just incase he's away from the computer for a while the ones I have received have been more pastle pink,definitely not flouro that's for sure.
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How pink are the pink S2's - bright pink, pastel pink? None of the pictures on the website appear to be of pink baits...
thanks
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Thanks Greg.
We have a two week waiting time currently on our website, that slipped to three weeks last week. We cleared everything up until the 15th of May yesterday, barring just a few orders. I know lots of our customers are now reading this, who are not members of this forum. We are getting inundated with texts. You should all be expecting deliveries today, or tomorrow latest. By the end of next week, we should have totally cleared our backlogs. Just one more time. Do not PM me on here. I currently have 131 unread messages. Do not email us. We have 16,638 unread emails currently. Do not phone us, our phone is on silent. It does not get answered. Please ALWAYS text or WhatsApp message our work mobile regarding an outstanding order. We always need the full name on the order.
Ricci being Ricci. RG Lillies lake in Kent. Place has come on leaps and bounds over the last decade. Lots of lovely carp now.
GPB2 fished as single, cast at a showing fish.
After getting a Frimley red card for catching them all. First night success on a very tough new lake for Mark. Nothing spectacular. But bagging one first night from a difficult new venue means only one thing for the near future. Marks going to catch them. He already knows that.
S2 fished over Wraysbury Baits boilies.
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In reply to Post #1617
Good luck on the new venture mate
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As previously mentioned. I will not be about at all online for quite a while now. I spoke a little bit a while ago... About us maybe making cured hookbaits, in our formats, in some of the biggest named boilies on the market in the future. These would also get sold through the best fishing tackle shops in the UK & Europe. The first and only person I have spoken to personally about this so far, is the owner of DNA Baits. We will still be making all of our current hook baits, we will actually be adding lots more to our own range too. But we will also be adding a select few of the current best selling boilies on the market to that range as well ultimately.
One of those hook baits, is going to be the Bug.
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Ricci, S2/GPB2 combined, fished over Krill.
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In reply to Post #1612
One other thing I did forget yesterday.
We have always used the same eggs, from the same source. These are big eggs specifically chosen, because they have a very pale yellow, and tiny yolk. Loads more fresh egg white, per egg. The pale yolk, does not affect the colors of the crushed cork hook baits. Because of the recent egg crisis. We have had to take whatever fresh eggs we can often get. Some of these, have had a very dark yellow yolk. This had a very slight effect on our pink and white S2. If you have noticed very recently a tiny color change darker, that's why. The egg crisis is pretty much over now, and we have loads of the same eggs that we have used for a decade again. There is zero difference though, just aesthetic. But if it's not mentioned, people might think something has changed. It was only that.
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In reply to Post #1613
Richie definitely has a very good camera. And catches some amazing looking carp. He fished this lake to catch this linear. He caught it three times on an S2. Just lovely stuff. That’s a beautiful carp.
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In reply to Post #1611
Two lovely photos again, crystal clear. I need to get myself a new camera
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In reply to Post #1611
I have a feeling I will have to disappear from online for a while again very soon indeed. It maybe for quite a while too in reality this time. If anybody needs to contact us regarding an outstanding order, always mobile number on website. WhatsApp or text message only, it's on silent and never gets answered for calls. We have a two week waiting time on all orders.
A couple of 'things' that you should probably know.
Our GPB2 cc pop ups, are far more buoyant than any other hook bait which we make. They have so much pre digested fishmeal in them, which is incredibly light when dried. Consequently they weigh far less than anything else which we make, but contain the same amount of cork. Followed by the GPB1. The S2/S3 are the heaviest basemix by far. A 13mm GPB2 cc, will hold up a bigger hook, than a 13mm S2 cc will because of this.
The S3 we sell, were a very well guarded secret for many years before our GPB1 went on sale. I always noticed quite a few anglers, who only purchased S3's, but would report fish as being caught on an S2... Because everyone uses S2's.... They may look, and smell incredibly different.... But in essence, it's exactly the same natural sugars created by our curing process that actually make them both work. The S3 gets no publicity. Some clearly prefer it that way.
I am constantly being asked daily, by some of our most long standing and loyal customers, for the new products that they know are clearly now coming in the future. I cannot. No one at all has them. No one. No one has even seen them. I am not stupid. No one whatsoever can see anything, until it actually hits the market. I have only mentioned things that are already out there so to speak. Please do not take offense at any of that.
It's all going to come.
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Wade, pearly scale from the Riverton syndicate. Well done Wade that’s a lovely one.
38lb GPB1
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Bait